Sweets & Coffee
by striderider
Summary: Gill is wealthy, a perfectionist, and to Angela, annoyingly arrogant. Angela is poor, an optimist, and to Gill, somehow entrancing? Despite their constant bickering and differences, the two go together like sweets and coffee. Can their tense relationship blossom into some thing more?
1. Of Indian Summers

A bright ray of sunlight stole through the ornate curtains of a luxuriously furnished bedroom, shining directly onto the tightly lidded eyes of a young man. The fellow groaned in annoyance and turned onto his side, pulling the blanket further over him. He drifted peacefully back into his sleep until a loud banging jerked him out of his pleasant dreamscapes. The banging, quite honestly, was not at all loud nor was it anywhere near a bang, but any sound to awake this particularly irritable fellow would be classified as such by him.

"Gill! Hurry up or you'll be late to work! Today 's especially important, remember?" a chipper voice chimed merrily from the other side of the regal bedroom door. Gill glanced over to the clock standing on his nightstand. 5:01 am. Gill grumbled angrily under his breath. He usually woke up at 6 and was at work by 8:30. He was nowhere near late for anything! He sighed irritably and flopped back into his still warm bed to rest quietly for a few moments. After a while, he pulled himself out of bed to prepare for this "especially important" day that awaited him. He dressed in his usual choice of garb: a blue sweater vest, a long-sleeved shirt, a crisp pair of shorts, black socks, and brown dress shoes. The usual. After deftly tying his tie on, Gill grabbed documents lying on his desk and made his way downstairs for breakfast.

His father had already prepared breakfast for the two of them and was currently enjoying his portion rather hurriedly. Gill paid no heed to this fact, already knowing its cause, and settled down alongside his father, turning on the television with the remote which had already prepared been for him on the table. Gill took a slow sip of his coffee. It was _very_ sweet. He grimaced.

"Ah, Gill!" his father turned to him, trying to cover his mouth to prevent food bits from pelting his son. He began to rise from his seat as he spoke. "I'll be off now. I want to get an early start and make sure everything is perfect before our new neighbor arrives!" he chuckled with satisfaction at the thought. Gill, however, was not as pleased and focused less on his father's drabbling and more on the local news. His father ignored the silence and continued.

"Pascal told me the boat should be here around 10:00. If you're not too busy, you should come down and greet her, too!" Gill nodded his head absentmindedly.

"Excellent!" His father clapped his hands with more eagerness than Gill deemed necessary. "Well, I'm off! See you at ten!" And with that, Gill was left to himself in the quiet of his home. He munched quietly on his breakfast as the weather girl chattered on happily about Indian Summers and rain.

"Do you all know what an Indian Summer is? It means that little bit of summer that comes at the end of fall right before the cold of winter," she said as she beamed happily.

"During that little bit of summer, the Indians would hunt for winter. So that's why they called the Indian Summers a gift from the gods, or in our case, a gift from the Goddess." Gill rolled his eyes as he took another bite of his scrambled eggs. A gift from the Harvest Goddess? Please. Considering the current state of the island, the Harvest Goddess had obviously left Waffle Island to rot in his opinion.

"This fall's Indian Summer has been accompanied by unprecedented amounts of rain. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see if these rains turn out to be a real gift, eh, Mr. Gill Hamilton?" the weather girl giggled and continued on with her report. Gill, on the other hand, had nearly choked on his food. Of course she would've known his doubts to her report. He grumbled angrily as he quickly flipped the television off. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning illuminated the kitchen to a stunning level, followed by a great crash of thunder. After that, everything was suddenly very quiet besides the deafening onslaught of raindrops pouring on the roof.

The house was still and dark. _Very_ dark. Gill sighed in frustration.

Today was most certainly going to be a wonderful day.

* * *

**And there it is. The first chapter. All nicely tied up with a red ribbon. :3c**

**Hope you all liked it! The second chapter should be uploaded fairly soon (and hopefully 'll be able to speed up the pacing….=3=;;)**

**S/N: I do not own HM:ToT or Secret Garden. :P**


	2. Of Stew & Storms

The boat ebbed quietly along the mild sea waves, gently rocking her passengers with ease. A young lady was resting at the stern of the humble ship, enjoying the faint, but cool ocean breeze tickling her ears.

"Ah! There you are, Angela! I was beginning to think you'd fallen overboard!" the jovial captain laughed heartily. The young lady laughed alongside him.

"That would've been pretty bad, considering I'm not a strong swimmer," Angela said with a light-hearted smile, although her downcast eyes seemed to display a different feeling. Pascal didn't seem to notice, however.

"Well, since we've got another solid hour until we arrive, how about you join me for a quick meal?" he rubbed his aged pipe slowly as he spoke. Angela quickly perked up at the word "meal."

"That sounds really great! What's on the menu?" She felt like she was literally starving to death, although it had only been an hour since she had had her breakfast: an orange.

"_One orange isn't breakfast. Plus he's offering so there's no harm in taking it, I suppose,_" she reasoned inwardly. Because she was rather strapped for cash, Angela had hesitated on buying a proper breakfast before they had set out. After all, starting a new life was not going to be cheap! Much less at the end of fall….

"What we're having really depends on you," Pascal said as he inserted the nib of his pipe into his mouth and took a deep breath. Angela waited patiently for him to continue.

"_Best not to rush the man who's going to feed you_, "she thought. Pascal slowly exhaled, a stream of billowy smoke flowing from his slightly parted lips. Angela winced in an effort not to cough. She didn't want to seem rude.

"Generally speaking, Angela, what's your favorite kind of food?" Pascal said, grinning. Angela tapped her chin in serious thought.

Maybe it was the salty air getting to her, or perhaps the deep blue of the ocean surrounding them that influenced her, but her answer was firm and decided.

"I love any kind of fish!"

Pascal beamed happily at her statement. He was a fisherman, after all. (Well, by hobby, at least)

"All right, then! That settles that. Luckily, I've already got some hot saury stew prepared in a thermos," Pascal turned to retrieve said thermos. Angela watched him fuss with his belongings for a bit and then returned to her former pursuit of watching the water go by. To her surprise, a large land mass was suddenly in view and was approaching quickly.

"Hm, seems I overestimated…" Pascal muttered quietly. Angela turned around again to find him standing behind her with a large thermos in hand.

"Looks like we'll be arriving a little earlier than planned. I suppose we'll have to skip the meal for now…" Pascal rubbed his chin thoughtfully, estimating their new arrival time with seriousness.

"Oh…I was really looking forward to that stew…" Angela said, her tone dripping with disappointment. She wasn't about to let a delicious (and free) meal slip through her fingers so easily! Fortunately, unlike with the swimming comment, Pascal picked up on the subtle undertones.

"Ah…that is… for now, we'll have to go by without a full belly. But once we get to the docks and get you all squared away, I'll treat ya to a nice meal at the Inn," Pascal said pulling at the collars of his coat.

"You will?" Her voice carried more cheer than before.

"Yes ma'am! You'll love their cooking there! Yolanda's the best chef 'round these parts! Her food will knock the taste buds off of your tongue! And the Inn itself is quite a sight to see. Elegant, but comfy is how I think the Mayor wanted me to describe it…"his voice went quiet for a few moments as he tried to remember, but continued otherwise with his grandiose description of the place that Angela would soon call home. He continued on for quite a while and she didn't mind at all. She may have lost a meal for the present, but she was extremely looking forward to this "Yolanda's" cooking. Pascal's description of the island was also interesting enough to keep her mind off of the gnawing emptiness in her stomach.

"I'm tellin' ya, Angie! You're really going to love Waffle Island!" He grandly swept his arm to the island behind him. "It's really quite beautiful—"

A bright bolt of lightning followed by a deafening crash of thunder interrupted Pascal mid sentence. The rain began to beat down on the two defenseless travelers. The both stared at the island in stunned silence.

"…Ahem, or at least it WAS beautiful…" Pascal sighed heavily. The floor beneath them began to wobble in uncertainty. Pascal quickly jumped behind the wheel. Angela's eyes widened in fear of _really_ falling overboard. Next thing she knew, she was slipping. The back of her head met the wet deck of the ship with a hard thud. She blacked out.

**See? Uploaded fairly quick, yeah? Anyhoo, the two protagonists will be meeting next chapter, so look forward to it!**

**S/N: Thanks, Ice-T, for your great kindness to this upstart fanfic writer! ;A; I hope I meet your expectations! ;;**


	3. Of Dreams & Puddles

"Ang…. elp ….." A quiet voice flitted in the darkness.

"Angela….. ple…..help…" The voice was pleasant, but sounded anxious and weak. A bluish light started to grow from the source of the voice. Its owner was a beautiful, angelic-like lady with cerulean hair that had been carefully braided. A pleading look altered her otherwise captivating face. She looked down and tried once more to beckon to Angela.

"Th….arves….dess…..eedl…." the rest of her message was lost to the darkness as the lady and the light began to slowly fade away…

* * *

Angela slowly opened her eyes, unknowing of the dream's meaning nor of her current situation. All she could focus on presently was the dull ache in the back of her head. She groaned in pain and attempted to push herself out of bed.

"Ugh… my head…" Angela rubbed her eye, trying to remember the source of her headache.

"Maybe you should lie down a little bit longer," a warm, feminine voice advised her. Angela turned to the owner of the voice. The voice's owner was a lovely, ginger-haired lady whose gentle aura was reflected in her likewise gentle eyes. Angela rubbed at her eyes more in confusion.

"Am I still dreaming?" she slurred sleepily. The other woman only laughed and patted a warm, damp towel on Angela's head. It was very soothing and began to make Angela feel sleepy, but she resisted the urge to fall back asleep. She had questions to be answered.

"W-what happened?" Angela implored her caretaker. The lady finished dabbing at Angela's head before answering her.

"You passed out, sweetie. Pascal and the mayor brought you here to the Inn and had Jin, our town doctor, come and check on you. He said you hit your head pretty bad, so you should probably rest for a while," the woman summarized. Angela sighed into her blanket. This was definitely not how she was planning to start her new life. The woman started to chuckle quietly. Angela turned her attention back to her impromptu nurse.

"The mayor has been making quite a fuss about you, y'know? As soon as they brought you here, he dumped a bunch of money, saying that he would take care of any and all expenses that might pop up while you were staying with us," she said as Angela watched her lipsticked mouth move softly. Angela began to push herself out of the other side of the bed. There was no way she was not going to fall asleep lying down like that. Her caretaker looked at her in surprise.

"Well, if the mayor's waiting for me, I shouldn't leave him waiting then, eh?" Angela straightened the collars of her undershirt in embarrassment. The woman giggled lightly and stood to help her.

"My name's Colleen, by the way," she said as she tried to pat down Angela's cowlick. "I don't think I caught your name, though, when they were dragging you in here." Colleen gave up on Angie's cowlick and took a step back to check on her overall appearance.

Despite the cowlick, Angie's hair looked decent enough. Both the dual-colored sweater and blue jeans she wore were somewhat wrinkled, but looked presentable. With the addition of some sturdy boots, she looked ready to take on the most demanding of any manual labor task. Despite her prepared appearance, Angela felt perturbed. These weren't the clothes she had been wearing on her trip over here.

"Um—"

"You're original clothes were soaking wet, but luckily the mayor had already prepared some back-up clothes for you. And don't worry, we'll send you your other clothes once they're all dried up and cleaned," Colleen had already guessed the thought of Angela's mind with her motherly instincts. After a quick and cordial "thank you", Angie rushed downstairs to find the mayor.

* * *

Gill carefully made his way around yet another large puddle as he walked to the town hall. The sudden rain storm ended as quickly as it had begun, leaving the town bleak and be-puddled. Gill made his way gingerly around one more pond and stopped in front of the town hall. Having made it to his destination, he stopped to tighten his tie a little bit.

Gill began to reach for the door knob in front of him, but hesitated, knowing full well what was going to happen as soon as he stepped inside. Sure enough, as soon as he cracked the heavy door open, Elli's voice immediately rang out to greet him.

"Good morning, Gill! Did you catch my weather report this morning?" she smiled widely, waiting for him to say something. Gill cocked his head and coughed loudly, already regretting having come to work.

"…well …yes. I suppose I did…" Gill avoided eye contact with Elli as he closed the door behind him. Elli, on the other hand, was eyeing him mischievously.

"You 'suppose' you did, eh? Well, I 'suppose' you caught my little shout-out to you then?" Elli said with a half-laughing tone. Gill turned to her directly with fierce determination suddenly burning in his eyes.

"We've discussed this already, Elli. The Harvest Goddess has given up on us! There's no way something like a suddenly large amount of rain can be considered anything near a gift from her," Gill lectured decidedly as he marched over to his desk. He continued his tirade as he plopped down emphatically into his seat.

"If anything, this rain is a curse! Think of the flooding and all the other, er…trouble these storms could bring here! "Gill's eyebrows furrowed deeply as he tried to prove his point. Unfortunately, he wasn't doing a very good job of it. Elli's mouth remained a gentle smile instead of turning into an outlet of apologies as Gill had hoped.

"We haven't had rain on this island for the least few months and you know it, Gill. Any longer without rain and half of the island's natural flora would've died off," Elli paused to see if Gill would retort. He only turned his head stubbornly knowing full well he had already lost this battle. Elli smirked. Gill mumbled something like an apology under his breath and began to look over the pile of papers sitting on his desk. Elli shook her head and returned to her work at hand.

"You know, you could do with being a little less stubborn sometimes. It puts off the ladies," Elli counseled him as she stamped the Mayor's seal on her stack of papers.

"I'm not stubborn," Gill said quietly, his eyes focusing on his work.

"Yeah, yeah… you'll see what I mean one day," Elli grinned as she felt an auspicious feeling grow within her. She brushed it off for the present and diverted all her attention to the papers she was stamping. The room grew comfortably silent as the pair worked diligently on their tasks.

After a while, Gill finished up the last of his first pile of documents and allowed himself a glance at the clock. The time was now 9:54. He suddenly stood up from his warm desk chair and began to make his way to the door. Elli was caught off guard by this unusual act from Gill.

"Uh, Gill?" Elli said inquisitively. Gill turned to her with a straight look on his face.

"Hm? Something wrong, Elli?" Gill asked as if had already known the reason for his impromptu departure.

"It's not lunch yet and you're leaving early?" Elli said in earnest questioning tone.

"I made a sort of promise to my father that I was going to help him with something," Gill rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed. It was certainly wasn't like him to just take off from work. Elli stared at him carefully, trying to remember if the mayor had mentioned to her something about today. Her eyes suddenly lit up as a wave of understanding rushed through her. She giggled impishly and nodded her head at Gill, approving his departure. Gill rolled his eyes and began to open the door.

"Her name is Angela, Gill! Don't forget it!" Elli called out to him as he passed through door without paying her any heed. The name, however, echoed in his ears as began to walk away from the town hall. The sun was already out, quickly drying up and cheering up the island. It was as if the island itself was eager to make a good first impression on the new arrival.

_"Angela…Angela..."_ he mumbled her name repeatedly. He didn't make far outside the town hall before he saw her walking up the stairs to the town square.

**Hwoo! Third chapter's finally done! =A= This one took quite a while to write. And they're most definitely meeting next chapter! I promise this time! DX (It's already half written out so expect it sometime soon =3=)**

**S/N: If you find any errors, please let me know. It was like 2:30 in the AM when I finished this. Ha haa... ._.**


	4. Of Vests & Vomits

He stopped right where he was standing, transfixed suddenly on the figure approaching him. She had hardly climbed up all the stairs and, already, Gill began to carefully judge her from a distance.

"Hair: brown and short, with an annoying cowlick," Gill squinted at her, trying to get a better look. "Eyes: brown. Clothes: plain; obviously has no taste. Height: average. Build: skinny for a farmer," he said as he knitted his brows in disapproval. Gill noticed she was panting somewhat after climbing the stairs.

"Has Low stamina. Unfit for major physical activities, perhaps," Gill continued to scrutinize her as she walked aimlessly around the town square. He was hoping she would see him at this point, so he could properly introduce himself. Instead, she was suddenly drawn by the large shady tree on the cliff.

"Easily distracted…" Gill noted and frowned as she began to pet the small Chihuahua that had made this area its home. It began to lick her face and Angela giggled, trying to rescue herself from the playful pup's tongue. Gill, on the other hand, winced, thinking of all the disgusting germs the dog probably carried.

"Apparently lacks knowledge of various animal parasites," Gill shook his head in pity for this poor youth. He smirked as he began to make his way to the distracted young lady. He towered behind her squatting figure, waiting for her to take notice of his presence. When she didn't do so immediately, he decided to initiate the conversation himself.

"You shouldn't pet that filthy mutt, Ms. Angela. It's covered in parasites," Gill coolly warned her. Angela whipped her head in his direction, startled. The "filthy mutt" growled at the platinum-blonde-haired man and ran for refuge behind the clock tower.

"Um, I…hi," Angela managed to mutter out. Gill didn't reply, waiting for her to ask that inevitable question he was burning to hear. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she stood up and attempted to straighten out her sweater, feeling very embarrassed under the fixed stare of this mystery man. Was it just the sun or was he…glittering? She shook her injured head; her mind was obviously playing tricks on her.

"Is something wrong, Ms. Angela?" Gill asked after seeing her shake her head. She snapped herself out of her thoughts and quickly looked up at him.

"What? Oh, uh, nothing's wrong. I was just trying to…guess who you are..." Angela said. It was an obvious lie, but Gill simply chuckled haughtily. His time had come.

"Well, Ms. Angela, I'm the kind of person doesn't usually talk to people in a buddy-like manner, such as how we've been speaking," Gill gestured to her, apparently implying their sudden "friendship". It was Angela's turn to stare at him fixedly.

"When I reveal to you my identity, you might think, 'Oh dear! I dared to have such a friendly conversation with a man like him!' I'm on that level of a person," he said with pride laced in every word.

"My name is Gill Hamilton, son of Mayor Hamilton, obviously," Gill said with a sincere smile. Angela looked over this strange person before her. The mayor had told her that he had a son, but this guy was nothing like she had imagined. She had imagined him to be jolly and rotund like his father, but younger. Instead, she had been given this pompous weirdo. At least his face was kind of nice to look at. Her eyes roamed down his a face and suddenly fixated on his purple sweater vest with its showy design. Gill traced her eyes to his vest.

"Ah! I see you've taken notice of my very regal sweater vest!" Gill tugged on the vest's collar. He had been secretly hoping his extraordinary style of clothing would leave a good impression on her.

"It was hand-sewn by an Italian master, stitch by stitch, who's done nothing but create sweater vests all his life," Gill boasted eagerly, hoping to deeply impress this ignorant young lady. Angela said nothing, but tipped her head back, weirded out. Gill, however, was encouraged by her silence to continue.

"I see you don't believe me. I didn't want to have to do this…" Gill suddenly turned around and arched his back towards her. He pulled at the back collar of the vest so she could see what was sewn there.

"Can you see the tag?" he strained. Angela closed her eyes, trying to summon every ounce of politeness within her to end this conversation with this…odd man.

"Uh, actually Gill, how do I say this politely...I'm not really that interested in your vest," she tilted her face away from his surprised gawking.

"I-in fact, to be honest, it's probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen," Angela added, trying to force back a chuckle. Gill straightened himself slowly and cleared his throat, her stinging words rattling around his brain. He patted down his collar, his back still facing her, and tried to stifle the torrent of rage-fueled insults slowly rising to the surface. He turned his head slightly to observe her current expression. She was smiling innocently, waiting for his response.

"Well, I suppose someone who has such poor taste in clothing could never appreciate the great value of high society attire," he said sharply. Angela was taken aback by that comment. _Poor_? She hadn't picked out these clothes for herself;_ his_ father had done that. If anything, he was insulting his _own_ father. She smiled inwardly at the irony, but she needed to make a comeback; otherwise, Gill would think he had won.

"Well, excuse me for dressing practically, Mr. Cowlick," she huffed out in retort. Gill turned around fully to face her. Any effort to be friendly had dissipated like smoke at her cowlick comment.

"Cowlick? Like you're one to talk! Look at yours! It's large enough to be a radio antenna! What kind of stations do you get on that thing?" Gill towered over her with a proud sneer stretched across his face.

"Well, Yours is –" a sharp, shooting pain interrupted her mid-insult. It felt like dull pencils were being slowly pushed into her brain. Her once defiant figure was suddenly bent over, trembling in pain. She tried to hold in the urge to cry out in agony. Angela didn't want the pompous idiot in front of her to think she was weak.

Although he was still steaming from their argument, Gill became seriously concerned over her hunched figure.

"…you need to get to the hospital," Gill said in a deadpan tone.

"N-no…really, you doofus," Angela managed to spew out. Gill stared at her silently. Despite how much he intensely disliked Waffle Island's newest arrival, his mother had trained him to be a gentleman and to fulfill a need when the opportunity came. Without warning, he suddenly scooped her up and began walking towards the stairs to town, his usual expressionless look plastered on his face.

"Humph. How bothersome," he grumbled, clearly annoyed by the situation that had been thrust upon him. Angela gaped at him like he was a lunatic. The last person she ever wanted to carry her was this pretentious, numb-skulled annoyance. To add to her mortification, he was carrying her bridal style. Her face was smoldering red. Gill chalked that up to anger.

"L-let me go, you jerk!"Angela tried to push him away with her trembling arms, but failed. The resounding aches in her head prevented her from straight-up punching him like she desired to.

"You shouldn't refuse a gentleman's kindness, Ms. Angela. It's unladylike," Gill said, his poker face betraying no embarrassment at their state of affairs. If anything, he looked mightily displeased.

"Like I give a – a… "Angela blubbered out, her eyes half-lidded. She held her stomach tightly. _"Uh-oh,"_ she thought. Gill committed his razor-sharp focus to depositing his ward to the hospital, ignorant of the impending misfortune about to befall upon him. They were only a few steps away from Meringue Clinic when-

"BLEUGH." The pungent stench of vomit stung Gill's nostril and he suddenly became aware of a very warm and moist sensation on his chest. He clenched his eyes shut. Did he really want to look at it right now? He exhaled noisily with the most irritation he had felt all day. Instead of looking at his dirtied sweater, he elected to inspect his sickly burden. She was sleeping peacefully in his arms…

…or more realistically, she had passed out after messily dumping out her meager breakfast onto his person. He squinted at her. Sleeping without giving him an apology for her actions? After carrying her all this way? Goodness! What an annoying woman! How rude of her! How-

"…sorry…"she whispered as she shifted her head closer to his arm. Gill felt a warmness rising to his cheeks, but instead sighed and proceeded inside the clinic. He'd forgive her for now.

* * *

**I like this chapter. I really do. :D It was actually pretty fun to write in all honesty. I hope you guys liked it, too. Leave a review if you did! And if you didn't...still, leave a review! Feedback is the bodigizer on which this noobasaurus rex of a fanfic writer feasts on...but, I digress. ;=3=**

**I'm not sure how I want to go about the next chapter. To utilize time-skipping or not….half of it's already written out, but we'll see, I guess. Luke and/or Selena should make an appearance either in the next chapter or the chapter after that, so I guess you'll just have to carefully follow the story to see. (he he hee… ;3c) **

**S/N: Thanks for the review, Ms. Ominous! I hoped the length of this chapter made up for the cliffhanger I left you with, he hee. n_n**


	5. Smiling Angel

After checking her vitals, Jin had declared she would be fine, but would definitely need to rest. She had collapsed due to fatigue, lack of a proper breakfast, and undue stress. Angela groaned in frustration. The fatigue she had brought onto herself by not listening to what Colleen had told her. After briefly meeting with the mayor, she had completely forgotten her deal with Pascal and skipped lunch entirely, having become eager to explore the town. She really had no one to blame for her condition besides herself…

...And the mayor's arrogant son…_definitely_ him. He had pushed her into this precipice of poor health and disappeared without any apology. His sneering face burned in her mind's eye with a vengeance. Unlike him, though, she would always apologize to those she had troubled.

"I'm very sorry for inconveniencing you again, Dr. Jin," Angela bowed as deeply as she could while sitting on her hospital bed. Jin returned her bow with a smile, chuckling.

"It's fine. Somehow, I feel like this won't be the last time I'll be seeing you in here," Jin said. She laughed heartily with him and could already feel her strength returning to her. The black-haired man pushed up his glasses, a serious look now replacing his former gentle grin.

"Now, about your medical bill, it's—"

"I'll take care of it!" Angela said resolutely. She felt like she had burdened enough people already and wanted to end that cycle here. "No matter how long it takes, I'll pay off both of the bills myself with my own money." She rose up her fist in determination. Jin's kind smile returned to him.

"Actually, I was going to say they've both been paid…" Jin glanced at the ever-present clipboard in his hands. Angela sighed with relief, knowing quite well who had taken care of it for her. As ready as she was to take care of her own self, she still appreciated the mayor's help during this difficult time.

"…paid in full by both the mayor and his son," Jin pulled out two receipts from his clipboard and handed them to his shocked patient. She quickly mulled over the papers while her doctor continued.

"Gill also paid for the medication we've prescribed for you. They're pain killers, which you'll need to take twice a day…"Jin rambled on about the procedure, his instructions lost on deaf ears. That guy…. she had only known him for an hour and already, he had piqued her interest, lost her favor, insulted and hit her weak spots, carried her princess-style to the clinic, and paid for her hospital bills. She leaned back and rested her arm on her forehead, exasperated.

"We might as well be married already, huh?" Angela said sarcastically. Jin laughed to himself.

"Yes, I suppose so," he said as he checked his clipboard to see if he had missed anything. A manly yelp and violent rustling from the curtain divider adjacent to the pair disrupted their conversation. The patient on the opposite side seemed to be making quite a stir.

"Jin, he's refusing to cooperate!" an elderly woman's voice called out. Without a word, Jin swiftly dashed to the other side to handle the situation, leaving Angela to her thoughts. Despite the noise from the other patient, the gentle, fading sunlight from the windows soothed her and she closed her eyes. She tried to drown out her neighbor's noise by going through the misadventures of her first day on Waffle Island.

The mysterious dream lady reappeared in her thoughts. Angela tried focusing on what she was trying to say, but only garbled fragments of the memory remained. She shifted her head away from the ruckus behind the dividing curtain. She had mentioned the dream to the inn's helpful staff, but they couldn't decipher it either. Her thoughts then flowed to the island's jaunty mayor. He had provided her numerous details about Waffle Island; its' tourism-based economy, various businesses, and wonderful landscape all part of his briefing. He had even given her a map so she wouldn't get terribly lost as she was prone to do. Mayor Hamilton was certainly kind to provide her with so many things without knowing her well enough. He reminded her of her own father, in a way. Angela's memories continued to what had occurred at the town square with Gill. She pulled up her blanket in discomfort. Angela didn't even get to see anything past the Sundae Inn before she met him. It was a shame such a pleasant face belonged to such an unpleasant person! And then she remembered,

"_Oh, my god. I threw up on him_," she thought in horrific embarrassment. She tried to remember if she had apologized before passing out, but the end of that memory was fuzzy, much to Angela's chagrin. She really hoped she wouldn't have to see Gill for a long while, at least until her embarrassment (and anger) died down. Angela suddenly noticed it had become quiet again.

The curtain had already been pulled back by now and Dr. Jin and his elderly companion had left the hospital room alone to the two patients. Angela glanced at her neighbor, who did not acknowledge her curious gaze. He was too busy gawking at his bandages, of which there were several. Angela took the opportunity to admire, er,_ observe_ him more carefully. His hair was a stark contrast to her doctor's, or anyone else's for that matter. He had blazingly stunning blue hair, some of which was contained under a bandana with flames adorned around it. His clothing was not complicated, like some other particularly exasperating guy she knew, and was well-worn by the looks of his frayed sleeves. Altogether, Angela admittedly thought he looked both tough _and_ cute, especially with the way he was eyeing the wrapped gauze on his arm with admiration. When he tilted his head to get a better look, Angela's eyes caught on the glittering gold chain around his neck. Her eyes traced it downward and she found that her neighbor donned what appeared to be a wolf's fang around his neck. She craned her neck towards it, trying to read the minuscule words engraved on it. A chuckle broke Angela out of her trance.

"Are…Are you checking me out?" the blue-nette joked, his necklace still shaking somewhat from his chuckle. Angela blushed at the stranger's suggestion.

"N-No!" she defended herself. Her scarlet cheeks betrayed her. "I…was just wondering what your necklace said…"she shifted her head in embarrassment.

"Heh, this old thing?" he lifted it up and glazed over it himself, before letting it fall back onto his chest with a cushioned thud. "It's not that important," he said with a childish smile on his tanned face. He swiftly changed the topic of conversation to her, brimming with curiosity at this strange girl before him.

"So, what's your name? I'm Luke, by the way," He shot up from the bed without waiting for her to reply and continued, "The greatest ax man to ever walk the face of this planet!" He raised his voice and struck a grand pose before settling back onto his bed. Angela giggled at his humorous description and gave hers.

"I'm Angela," she stated simply. Luke wasn't satisfied with just that. He stared at her expectantly and gestured for her to say more. She tipped her head in confusion. Luke filled in the gaps for her.

"You're Angela, master of…."Luke was going to nearly fall off his bed with anticipation at this point. Angela giggled again after hearing what Luke wanted her to add and thumped a fist onto her chest.

"I'm Angela, future master farmer and the greatest soufflé chef this island will ever see!" she said triumphantly, half-expecting Luke to laugh at her.

_"Gill would've,"_ the back of her head muttered darkly, but she tried to ignore it. Luke instead exploded off his bed, cheering loudly, causing Angela to blush a little and Jin to peek his head through the archway to check on them. Luke sat down again on his bed, his throat somewhat hoarse from all his liveliness.

"You're Angela, huh? So you're the girl the mayor was talkin' to my Pops about," Luke leaned his weight on his un-scathed arm, remembering the mayor's animated gestures.

"Yup, I'm the new girl," Angela tucked a stray strand of her hair shyly. Luke was cute, funny, kind, and from the looks of his extended arm, strong. She wouldn't mind having him as a friend…

_"Maybe closer than a friend?" _a random thought teased her. She quickly tried to stomp out that passing notion. Angela had just met him and she was already thinking about that kind of stuff. Her cheeks turned a light pink as she tried to battle the sudden onslaught of love-related thoughts.

The pair was quiet for bit, each focusing on different things. It was comfortably silent. Jin walked in with a small brown bag in his hand.

"I have your prescriptions, Angela," Angela jolted her eyes toward her caretaker. Luke did the same.

"The mayor just called, and I had to tell him that you needed to rest, so he's postponed your full guided tour until tomorrow," Angela listened to him carefully this time. Luke, on the other hand had lost interest on Jin and Angela's conversation, and resumed admiring the new girl.

"He's set you up at Souffle Farm which is north from here and quite far," Jin said worriedly. He didn't want his easily distracted ward traipsing about in the dark, only to be later found collapsed again. She had already been lucky the first time with the mayor's son.

"I can't walk you up there myself, unfortunately, so maybe you should just stay over—"

"I'LL TAKE CARE OF HER!" Luke shot up from his bed once more, raising his hand eagerly. He had decided he liked this new girl and was already willing to do anything for her. Jin's worried look remained.

"It's on my way home anyways and it'll be better for her to stay in a nice warm house, rather than this dusty place," Luke tried to convince the doctor eagerly. Jin eyed his lady patient doubtfully, and then eyed Luke the same way. After a few moments of mental deliberation, he granted Luke to take her to the farm. Luke bounced about in joy and Angela cheered with him. She had had no say in the matter, but would've been satisfied either way.

After several failed attempts to calm Luke down, Jin finally got him to be quiet enough to relay several different instructions to Angela. When he finished, he nodded at Luke who walked towards her with open arms.

_"What's he want? A hug?"_ Angela thought with a slight blush. Instead of hugging her, Luke bent down and carefully picked her up. Bridal-style. Both the doctor and his patient were surprised.

"Uh, Luke—" Angela could feel her cheeks warming up. She hadn't expected to be carried twice today …much less twice, both times bridal style, and this time, by a cute ax man with blue hair. Unlike with her former carrier, Angela did not protest nor even felt any desire to do so. All she could think about right now was how nice Luke smelled and how much she probably weighed…she _really_ hoped she wasn't too heavy…

"You won't regret this, doc! I'll take extra-special care of her!" Luke called out behind him as he began to walk down the stairs to the exit. Jin attempted to bellow out some form of protest, but didn't seem to find the words. He sighed as he watched the pair walk away.

"That girl just seems to move from arm to arm…" Jin shook his head and began to straighten up the room.

* * *

**Whoo, chapter five's finally done and the length's quite a doozy (for me at least). =A=; Glob, I feel like this took me forever to write. orz**

**Did I get your favorite blue-nette right, Luke fans? Is there anything I could do to make his character stronger? o3o Please leave a review if y'all have any suggestions, comments, and all that jazz!**

**The next chapter will be more Gill-centric and Selena is slated to make an appearance. It's 85% complete so expect its' appearance by the beginning of next week. I hope you'll look forward to it! :3c**


	6. How Insensitive

It had been a week since the vomiting incident with Angela. As far as Gill knew, she was doing well on her farm and had already made a few close friends. Gill had seen little of her since then and was earnestly glad for it. The new arrival's misadventures coupled with the abrupt downpour of rain had thrown most of the islanders off their regular schedules, even with the early warnings. Worried, Gill had been busy all week preparing emergency plans, in case anything disastrous should occur. Despite Gill's preparations, it never got to that point. The "Goddess' gift of rain" had continued to pour on the island sporadically, but not destructively. As much as it was appreciated by the island's flora, the rain was certainly making it difficult for the islanders to go about their outdoor work. Today happened to be one of those difficult days, much to the chagrin of the island's villagers and few visitors.

Gill, however, was not at all frustrated like his fellow islanders, mostly because he was spending the day on Toucan Island. He was not going on a leisure trip, however. The mayor had planned the trip for his son solely for business affairs. He had been tasked with discussing next year's events that would need the assistance of the island's business owners, renewing partnership contracts with the local inn's owners, and meeting a potential marriage candidate. Indeed, his trip was solely for business. Elli had teased him jokingly when Gill had told his agenda to her.

"Marriage isn't just another business endeavor, Gill!" Elli laughed at his stern face. He knew he shouldn't have mentioned that to her. Then again, she would always end up finding out about stuff like this anyways. Elli harped on about love and its importance in a marriage. Gill rolled his eyes and let her continue her speech. His thoughts wafted to his childhood, the first time he had felt something akin to what Elli was warbling on about. The object of his admiration had been a little girl close to his age. Her bubbly laughter and bright blue eyes often haunted him when he reminisced. He glanced at Elli as she sorted a file cabinet, her hands as busy as her mouth. He interrupted her mid-lecture and demanded to simply hear what the candidate's bio and preference card said. Elli glowered at him in slight annoyance, but did as she was told. Gill listened to his would-be bride's description. She sounded flashy and vain to him and by the time Elli had finished, he had already formed a rather prejudiced opinion about her.

"Apparently she's recently come back after studying dancing abroad for two years. I've met her before. She's…"Elli knitted her brows, trying to carefully think of the right descriptor. She couldn't muster anything pleasant.

"Um, nice?" Elli shrugged her shoulders with a forced smile. Gill smiled back at her.

"Thank you, Ms. Elli. Your confidence is _very_ reassuring," he said sarcastically before leaving to the docks with a briefcase in hand. The dark, looming clouds overhead threatened to soak him as he walked swiftly, but held their peace, as if they knew he was leaving already. The boat he had rented for the day was already waiting for him when he arrived. The vessel was not an aged, weather-beaten ship like Pascal's, but a luxurious and well-maintained yacht. Its owner greeted Gill warmly and soon, they were off to Toucan Island.

The friendly yacht owner tried to strike up a conversation with his passenger, but Gill often cut each attempt short with his curt replies.

"Yes…..he's fine…mm-hmm…I suppose….." Eventually, the captain gave up his futile efforts to be sociable. The remainder of the trip was spent with the captain silently navigating and Gill brooding. Much to the captain's relief, they reached his passenger's destination without delay. Gill paid his fare and thanked his host curtly.

Gill took his first step onto the island's white sand with his nice dress shoes. He frowned and decided that he'd strongly recommend the inn's owners to build a proper pathway from the dock to the inn. Visitors would probably be just as upset as him if _they_ got sand in their shoes.

It had been many years since Gill had last visited Toucan Island. He quickly noticed that this smaller island was suffering as much as the mainland by the looks of the dry coconut trees and scattered litter peppering the beach. The hotel owners', Samson and Sue, quickly dashed out of their business as soon as they had spotted him from their windows. They jostled him swiftly into the hotel, commenting on how he had grown so handsomely and remarking how beautiful their daughter had become since Gill had last seen her. Gill tried to add to the conversation, but before he knew it, he had been swiftly checked in and vigorously pushed into his hotel room. The excited pair announced that they would give him a chance to prepare and would meet him outside in thirty minutes. With a brisk slam of the door, Gill was left to himself, somewhat bewildered. His potential in-laws were enthusiastic; he'd at least give her that.

Gill tried to think back to the last time he had seen their daughter. It had been many years ago when he was still a young teenager, so the small memory was quite vague. All he could remember of her was her curly hair and how attached she was to her boyfriend at the time.

Now was the time for real business. The match-making could certainly wait until much later. He rummaged through the well-used briefcase on his bed, searching for the needed documents. His eyes caught onto a brightly-colored paper peeking through the shuffled monochrome documents. Gill pulled it out. It was the travel brochure his father had designed for Waffle Island. Elli must've accidentally mixed it in with his paper. The sight of it triggered memories of how his father had sent it off to newspaper and advertising companies without notifying anyone, especially his own son. Gill had been beside himself with fury when his father had told him about it, despite his father's carefree and bubbling attitude towards the situation. He frowned with guilt at the memory. Gill felt he must've upset his father terribly on that day, but probably hadn't noticed during that time. Mayor Hamilton had always been good at hiding things from him; travel brochures, emotions, important news…

Gill shook his head, not wanting to think of those dark memories. He sat down on his bed and opened the brochure, wanting to distract himself from those thoughts. He read the words more carefully than he had that first time his father had shown it to him, when he was blind with spite. Every sentence was dripping with his father's cheerful disposition. He could almost hear his father saying them himself.

He closed the brochure, wondering what kind of idiot would believe such a fantastical description of Waffle Island. Then _her_ face flashed into his mind's eyes. Angela was clearly that kind of idiot. Her face brought on memories of how he had dumped her heavy body at the clinic…

…or more realistically, how he had demanded their softest bed as soon as he stepped into the building, gently laid her down, and paid every cent of her expected debt. He knew he should've dropped her into Jin's arms and left all of the expenses to her. Something had stopped him from doing that, though. Maybe it was his mother's voice that lingered somewhere in his brain, reminding him to treat every lady with respect…but he brushed that off, thinking Angela was lower than a lady. A lady did not use such crude words. His thoughts reminded him of his ruined sweater vest. When he returned home, he was at least going to bill her for that. The thought of his sweater vest triggered his memory of how Elli had laughed at him when he had gotten back to the Town Hall that day. She had seen the whole thing from the building's wide windows. Such undue embarrassment! That woman…

He threw the brochure onto the floor and laughed bitterly. He had not told Elli about his personal agenda for this trip. Gill had come to Toucan Island to clear his head of that annoying woman, that girl… Angela. Heck, that was pretty much why he had a paid for the yacht ride to the island himself and why had even agreed to this absurd match-making date.

"Arranged marriages aren't all bad, Gill. Not when there's love in them," his father had said warmly the night he had tasked the trip to his son. Gill had heard this speech before. In fact, he had heard it enough times to recite it verbatim. It was his father's consolation speech, used whenever the mayor would set up a match-making date for his son.

Despite his son's obvious annoyance at his father's methods, Mayor Hamilton was unrelentingly determined to find a suitable and qualified young lady to marry his son. After his wife's death, the mayor had made his son's happiness his top priority, hoping to fill in the void left by Gill's mother, a void that could not be filled by simply making breakfast every morning or showering Gill with gifts. A happy marriage like his own had been would certainly fulfill the emptiness Gill seemed to carry. And so, Mayor Hamilton began to set Gill up on dates with the daughters of various reputable politicians who just "happened" to be visiting Waffle Island, anticipating that one of them would make his son happy in a way he could not. The mayor had even tried to pair him with every single eligible lady on Waffle Island and every time, Gill had rejected each one. None of them matched up to Gill's incredulous standards, earning him their scorn from his frank rebuttals to their advances.

"Your mother and I met on a date like yours. Before either of our parents knew it, we were engaged, married, and had you!" the mayor laughed heartily at those happy memories. To some extent, Gill regretted agreeing to his father's plan, but he needed the break away from Waffle Island, its indecisive weather, and its difficult new resident. Her chaotic appearance had brought with her unsystematic rainstorms…or perhaps it was the other way around?

Gill shot up from the bed and returned to his briefcase to shake off these confusing thoughts. A quiet knock at his door broke through his tumultuous thoughts.

"Mr. Hamilton, are you ready for our meeting?" an unfamiliar feminine voice called out behind the door. Gill glanced at his wristwatch, stunned. Had half an hour dissipated so quickly?

_All her fault…_ he muttered under his breath as he hurriedly scrambled through his papers. He finally lifted out his prize from his briefcase's disarray. Gill quickly stepped to the door and tried to smooth his cowlick down (and failed to do so.)

Upon opening the door, his date greeted him coolly.

"Gill Hamilton?" the curvaceous, tanned maiden inquired as she looked him over subtly. The mayor's son did likewise, although with less subtlety. Her parents stood a distance from them, knowing this was could be the deciding moment for their daughter's future. Gill withdrew his gaze and cleared this throat. Her smoky eyes darted to meet his. She offered her arm with an expectant grin. Gill raised his arm up, but instead of looping it through hers, he instead straightened his tie and briskly walked past her without a second glance.

"Let's go for a walk, Ms. Selena," he said as he continued his way past her shocked parents to the hotel's door, his signature cold look displayed on his face.

* * *

**I 've started to enjoy writing Gill's parts. I find that he's actually the easiest character for me to write for. Hm. Wonder why that is... but I digress.**

**I start work tomorrow and then my college classes start next week, so I'll try to finish the seventh chapter when I get the chance. I'm aiming for the end of this week, but if something should occur midweek, c'est la vie. :P **

**I hope you enjoyed the new chapter and if you've any squealing, ranting, suggesting, or otherwise you'd like to bestow upon this fresh as a daisy writer, I heartily implore you! Let forth the hounds of fanfic in the form of a review, reader! 'Tis appreciated. n_n**

**S/N: I'm giving up on the chapter title alliteration thing. So difficult... ;A; The first couple of times, it was coincidental, but now the odds of these same coincidences occurring again have slowly stacked against me. :T**


	7. Of Princes & Fools

The pair walked slowly with purpose in each step. One was trying to distract herself from her rising anxiety with the scenery about them. The other was carefully scrutinizing his partner while also trying to keep the pesky sand granules out of his shoes as the walked. Besides the sound of the mellow ocean waves and tropical bird songs about them, the silence was everything the two of them had expected it to be. Uncomfortable. Awkward. Insufferable. Selena had had enough of it and decided to initiate some form of conversation herself.

"You know, most men I've dated don't usually pick the beach for their first date," Selena turned to meet her date's surprised face. Gill had half expected the rest of the date to continue in semi-tolerable silence.

"A bit avant garde, but the gesture's quite romantic," she continued, her full lips stretching into a seductive smile. Gill smirked at her comment. He had already seen through the guise she was playing.

"I'd rather you not come to the conclusion that our venue was chosen out of romanticism. I chose to have our date here to save myself time," Gill said coldly, hoping she'd give up trying to win his steel-plated heart.

"Quite simply, Ms. Selena, I don't like to waste time," he glanced at his wristwatch while he was on the subject. He would need to wrap this up soon to finish off his agenda and avoid staying overnight. Gill took a quick glance at his date who still seemed bent on making him fall for her. Perhaps a few jabs at her confidence would end the deed tidily…

"All I need is five minutes with you and I believe we'll be done here," Gill remarked, knowing she would take the bait. Selena chuckled under her breath at her would-be-husband's statement. Five minutes? Please. From her own perspective, Selena felt like she was a newly discovered planet, of which a meager five minutes could not begin to even scratch her surface.

"You only need five minutes to get to know widdle ol' me?" Selena mewled with a pout.

"Of course. It's quite simple," Gill turned away from her to admire the true beauty of the island: its lush tropical forest.

"From the way you walk, I can tell what your temperament is like," Selena suddenly stiffened , her short strides swiftly becoming her focus. She started to fall behind his pace, but Gill took no notice. His eyes remained bound to the nature around them.

"From your appreciation of beauty, natural or artificial, I can see your level of culture. I can tell if you truly belonged in a ballroom or a club," Selena began to inwardly panic that he had seen through her careful choice of clothing and makeup. Gill suddenly leaned towards her and took a deep breath. Selena jolted back in alarm.

"I can tell whether your perfume is overwhelming or appealing," he pulled back and began to walk briskly back to the inn.

"Let's get something to drink," he called out behind him to his bewildered date. Selena quickly sniffed her arms and hair in alarm. She pouted in sincerity and watched him gingerly pick his way through the white sand.

"Geez, I didn't think he'd be this difficult…" Selena brushed back her curled bangs and followed after him.

* * *

Gill slurped the last of his pineapple smoothie slowly, feeling Selena's intense gaze on him but choosing not to acknowledge it. He placed his empty glass on the table and began to shuffle through the documents he had brought with him. The awkward silence had fallen between the pair again. As far as Gill was concerned, their date was over. Selena, on the other hand, was not about to give up without a fight though, not when she still had one last card to play.

"I hope you understand that I hold no contempt for you, Gill" Selena said, shattering the calm quiet once more. Gill looked up from his work briefly to glimpse at the speaker with a touch of contempt. The former formality in her tone was lost and replaced with a sudden air of friendliness.

"Of course, if we were to marry, I would to have to give up a few things, like my dancing and my dear friends," she said the last part snarkily. "But a marriage for status rather than love," she locked her deep, rich eyes with his icy, passive ones.

"I don't want that and…I hope you'll understand," Selena said with determination. She didn't seem as apologetic as her words stated. She held their stare, waiting for a response. When it did not come and he went back to his papers, she added more to her plea.

"To quietly marry a man I barely know for wealth is just not for me. I'm too much of a hot-blooded woman to be an obedient little daughter," she drew her hand over her soft auburn hair leisurely. Gill pinched the space between his eyes with unmasked annoyance. Could she not see that he wasn't interested in her coy hints? Gill knew she was trying to better her appearance by pretending to be attractively rebellious, but she had failed to realize the opportunity had been lost hours ago when he had formed his opinion on her that morning.

"So, what you're saying is…you don't want an arranged marriage," Gill said slowly, knowing where this conversation was drawing out to. Selena cast her gaze downwards, as if ashamed to admit the "truth".

"…yes," she answered quietly.

"Why not?" Gill asked nonchalantly. Selena jerked her eyes back to his in shock. She had been caught off guard with his question. Most of her suitors had left the conversation there, finding her to be an attractive challenge. Most suitors had melted instantly with a just a brief look from her. Most suitors had fallen for her alluring personality and appearance, but this man was completely different.

"E-excuse me?" Selena feigned ignorance at his question, hoping he'd change the subject.

"What is love? "he resumed, crossing his arms and leaning back into his seat. "I suppose some find it more important than anything else in a marriage. Because of it, people are willing to ignore background, education, and compatibility and replace it with kissing," Gill scowled at the matter, remembering high-standing individuals who had stooped because of hormones.

"Your naiveté matches your appearance, Ms. Selena" he said without consideration towards her. Selena blushed at the comment and began to feel rage burning within her. "If you're the type to fall for the town fool rather than the Prince Charming, then I think we're done here." Gill rose out of his reclined state and picked up his papers with him. Selena felt some relief at his departure, but his cutting remarks still stung. She too began to stand up and tried to keep his company longer.

"Wait, I didn't –"

"Should I tell your parents I was dumped? Our stories will need to match, Ms. Selena," Gill said as he straightened his tie once more. He quickly glanced at his wristwatch with a polite sneer.

"See?" he smiled at her dumbfounded figure and extended his arm so she could see the time as well. "Five minutes," he stated and left for his next appointment.

Selena collapsed back into the wicker chair, suddenly feeling dizzy. His comment about the town fool… did he know about her relationship with…? Selena tilted her head back and let out a laugh of bitterness. If Gill really did know about _that_, it would surely explain his curtness. Selena stared off into the deep blue of the ocean, where gloomy Waffle Island sat in the distance.

* * *

**And thus, the seventh chapter is complete. :3 I apologize for not updating midweek like you and I had expected, but c'est la vie. :P**

**I hope my Selena doesn't seem too *floppy hand gestures* different. Also, Gill seemed pretty arrogant in this chapter. What a guy, am I right? -_- *shakes head* As usual, leave a review whether you loved, liked, or even intensely despised this chapter! :D I love finding a new review when I check up on my story and any word of feedback is always helpful. n_n**

**Next chapter should be ready by next week. Hopefully. =u=;; College is starting this week and I already know the homework is going to bury me. :T Maybe. We'll see.**

**S/N: I do not own HM:TOT or Secret Garden. :P**


	8. Of Spite & Sprites

Angela stretched as she peeked out into the cold, dreary world outside her window. It was raining again, transforming the usually vibrant and warm-colored wonderland into a gloomy, dark, and sullen bother. Most folks on the island were currently grimacing at the bleak downpour, the day's chores suddenly becoming very unappealing. Angela, however, was genuinely grinning as she watched the droplets of water permeate the soil. More rain meant less work and the week's sporadic rain attacks had certainly been giving her much free time. Angela walked to her bookcase and perused the books her newfound neighbors had given to her. Fishing, farming, furniture… none of the subjects on her shelf seemed to inspire today's spontaneous adventure. Angela sighed and took a seat at her small dining table. She propped her head up between her hands, her face a clear descriptor of her mood.

"So bored…" she muttered. Angela closed her eyes and tried to figure out what exciting activity she could undertake for the day. The thought of simply goofing off with either Kathy or Luke was tempting, but trying to find them in this mud-inducing weather dampened that prospect. She could help Jin out at the clinic, but then the realization that today was Monday hit her like a ton of bricks. The Sundae Inn seemed like another viable choice, but the inn's utter lack of guests held no guarantees of a job. Angela groaned and thumped her head on the table. She quickly jerked her head back up, wincing.

"That hurt more than I thought it would," she said to herself as she rubbed her forehead. _At least the table's sturdy_, she thought. Suddenly, a grand notion suddenly struck her!

"I should help the mayor out at the town hall!" The idea was perfect! This way, she could settle what she felt was her debt to the mayor and get to know both the mayor and Elli better at the same time. Having finalized the day's activities, she grabbed her umbrella and ventured out into the moist world awaiting her outside her door.

* * *

The rain pattered endlessly as she approached her destination. Angela watched minute water droplets fall from the edge of her umbrella, thankful that it protected her from the chilly autumn rain…well, mostly. Each step onto the island's moist ground had kicked up rainwater and muck onto the bottom of her jean, a tragedy no umbrella could ever protect her from. This calamity was the furthest thing from her mind, though.

The mayor and Elli certainly appeared to be wonderfully cheerful and friendly people and Angela was looking forward to working with them both. Unfortunately, she had completely forgotten one important factor from her calculations. Gill Hamilton. The rain could never dampen her spirit, but the thought of working alongside that guy was certainly a damper to her plan.

Angela shuddered. She could feel her stomach doing somersaults like a hyper five-year-old. Was it the chilly fall wind that was making her feel this way? She paused in front of the large, towering double doors of the town hall. What Gill-inflicted hardship awaited her on the other side of these doors? She pushed the heavy doors open with hesitation and peeked around the corner, hoping to spot trouble before it found her.

"H-hello?" Angela murmured into the seemingly empty building. The sound of something clacking noisily was the only response. She mustered more courage and made a second attempt.

"Hello? Anyone here?" she said a tad louder. Elli looked up from her work momentarily to return the timid greeting.

"Hi, Angela! What brings you here this damp day?" Angela perked at the sound of the merry voice and skipped over to Elli's desk. She had half-expected the snarky voice of the mayor's son to acknowledge her, so Elli's greeting was extremely comforting. Still, her senses remained on high alert for the sudden and unwelcome appearance of that annoyingly arrogant guy.

"Nothing in particular," Angela said as she leaned on the counter and watched Elli's slender and lively fingers dance hurriedly on a typewriter. Its dull and rusting keyboard clicked noisily in protest of each letter summoned. The methodical movement of Elli's digit was almost hypnotizing and Angela gazed blankly at the process.

"You sure you don't need anything? Some coffee, maybe?" Elli teased lightly at the sleepy expression clouding Angela's usually lively eyes. Angela half-lidded peepers widened in acknowledgement, realizing Elli was talking to her.

"Um, I… "Angela rubbed her eyes, momentarily forgetting her purpose at the town hall. Elli chuckled and stood from her work to retrieve cups of the caffeinated beverage. Angela gratefully took the mug offered to her and took a swift swig of it without further thought. It was bitter. _Very_ bitter. Her face contorted at its taste. She pushed the warm cup away from her, hoping Elli wouldn't notice her quiet rejection of the unsweetened drink. Elli, in contrast, took a long draught from her mug, not minding the lack of sugar or cream. She had grown quite accustomed to the strong taste over the many long, grueling, overnight shifts the years of town hall work had brought upon her. Angela cleared her throat once Elli had finished quenching her thirst.

"Actually, I was kind of wondering if there was anything I could help out with," She eyed Elli's face, in hope of a positive reaction.

"Certainly! Any help is appreciated on a short-handed day like this, especially with the Great Taskmaster gone for the day," Elli said and motioned for Angela to join her on the employee's side of the desk. Elli immediately put her to work by tasking Angie with the job of organizing the ledgers on the shelf. Angela saluted her temporary boss and quickly set to work.

As she sorted the books diligently, her mind was working at an explanation for the Hamilton's odd absence. Was it usually Elli working by herself in this tomb-like building? Her mouth forced her thoughts into words.

"So, where's the mayor anyways? He got rained in or…"

"Mayor Hamilton?" Elli interjected. Angela nodded her head in confirmation although the answer seemed obvious.

"Well, the mayor's put himself in charge of tending to his citizens, which is basically just going around town and checking on people. So, he's not usually in most days, and when he is, it's usually not that long," Elli said as she adjusted the paper she was typing on.

"Gill himself gets majority of the paperwork side done. Notwithstanding the help of his wonderful assistant, of course," she gestured to herself with a flourish.

"And where's Grumpy Pants run off to?" Angela eyed his neatly organized desk curiously. Elli smiled at the nickname Angie had bestowed upon her coworker/boss. It certainly seemed to fit him most days.

"He's away on business. Serious business," Elli's eyes appeared to laugh at the statement and a goofy grin was tugging at the corners of her lips, but her overall expression betrayed nothing humorous about Gill's temporary departure. If Elli had not been so busy forcing down her laughter, she would've certainly taken note of the wave of relief that washed over Angela's formerly anxious face. Silence reigned once more between the pair, only interrupted by an occasional inquiry from Angela concerning her work.

By the end of an hour, Angela found herself seated at Gill's desk with a large stack of cards and a small plastic bin in front of her. Elli placed yet another stack in front of the volunteer and began to explain Angie's next task.

"All right, so, every month, we send each resident a bio and preference form to fill out. They send them back in, we type them onto these cards, and replace the old ones with their updated ones," Elli patted the pile next to her with fondness. She handed Angie a small quantity of the cards to clarify.

"That's neat…" Angela said softly as she shuffled through the lesser heap.

"I know, right? The mayor came up with it so people could get to know their little crushes before they actually talk to them," Elli eagerly said.

"Anyway, all you need to do is take out the old cards and organize the new ones by gender, marital status, and last name. Sound easy enough?" Angela nodded her head in agreement, her action contradicting her feeling of unsurety.

Gender was certainly easy enough, but marital status? After accomplishing the gender bit, Angela attempted to do the next part herself, but was soon lost in confusion. She looked to Elli's busy figure in hope of assistance.

"Um, Elli, for the marital status part…"

"Oh! Let me do that part for you. I forgot you're still new here, so you don't about our citizens', er, rich histories," Elli rolled her chair over to Angela's temporary station and took over the job. Angela watched with interest as Elli sorted the pile at lightning speed.

Elli handed them back to her worker with a smile and returned to her antiquated typewriter. Angela glanced over each one as she placed it into the small bin.

_Anissa, 26 years old, loves herbs and juices…._

_Kathy, 25 years old, loves pizza and cocktails…_

Huh. Angela had never thought most of her newfound friends were older than her. Judging by their carefree attitudes and unhurried lifestyles, they all seemed to be in their very early 20s' to her.

She moved on to the bachelors. Gill's was the first one on the pile, but she tucked it under the rest for the mean time.

_Jin, 31 years old, loves miso soup and herbs…_

Angela inspected the card carefully again. Jin was 31 years old? He had seemed so much closer to her age in retrospect. Maybe the island's weather preserved the youthful faces of its eligible residents and then restored their faces to its natural state after marriage… But that theory was too far-fetched and ridiculous.

_Luke, 21 years old, loves spinach and mayonnaise…_

An odd combination of food, but it certainly fit the eccentric lumber-chopper. Angela especially took note of Luke's age. He was only one year older than her and the gap seemed perfect for a relationship…not that Angela was thinking of that.

Owen's card followed after, as did Toby's. The rest of the bio and preference cards belonged to the town's married population and continued to the single citizens. The high amount of unpaired cards felt odd to Angela, but she set aside her looming questions for another time.

The last card she held had apparently been hand-written rather than typed like the others. The neatly printed words read:

_Gill Hamilton, 24 years old, loves gold and silver … __**tomatoes!**_

The words gold and silver had apparently been crossed out and the word "tomatoes" had been written above it in pink with likewise pink hearts surrounding it. Obviously, the mayor's son himself had written most of the card's other details, but the puce colored words appeared to be the handiwork of his coworker, Elli. Angela turned to the perpetrator, unsure what to do with the tampered card.

"Uh, Gill's card is—"

"It's fine, just put it with the rest," Elli responded, knowing the cause of Angela's hesitancy. Angela shrugged and did as she was told.

By 5 P.M., the two were wrapping up the day's work and making plans to head to the Sundae Inn for dinner. As they tidied up around the office, they chatted gaily about various subjects, ranging from the island's recent weather to the mayor's odd, yet somehow appropriate hairstyle. The topic had turned to Gill's unusual taste in clothing and the pair shared a hearty laugh at his expense.

"So…tomatoes?" Angela tried to inquire about it as subtly as she could. Even if she felt nothing but contempt for the man, and apology seemed to be in order for what had happened last week. Giving him a gift seemed like a decent idea. Giving him something he actually liked, perhaps even tomato-related, seemed like an especially good idea.

"Yeah, the guy loves them. I mean, you should've seen the lunches he brought to work when they were in season," Elli rolled her eyes at the fruit's former omnipresence in the town hall.

"Tomato juice, tomato, pasta, tomato stew, tomatoes everything!" Elli mockingly gagged at the list of tomato-centric dishes. Angela laughed at Elli's exaggerated gestures.

"He loves them so much, it's actually kind of sickening," Elli stated with sincerity, momentarily forgetting her position as Gill's employee, as well as his friend. Her disgust only lasted a moment before she realized the brevity of her statement.

"B-but don't tell him I said that!" Elli retracted. "If he finds out what I think of the stuff, I'd be drowning in paperwork and filing cabinets for months!"

"Don't worry. I won't tell him," Angela waved off Elli's worry,"but by the sound of it, I'm surprised his skin hasn't gone red from all the tomatoes he eats." The brunettes both burst out in jovial laughter at the truth of the joke. In half an hour, the pair was out of the doors and into the cold, soggy night.

"Thank you so much for the extra hand today! It feels great to finally get off early for once," Elli said, feeling genuine liberation from work as she locked the doors shut for the night.

"No problem. It's the least I could…do…" Angela's mind drifted from the conversation to a distant sound masked by the clatter of the rain on their umbrellas. She swiveled her head in search of the source's direction.

"Something wrong?" Elli glanced at her friend who had grown unusually quiet.

"I thought I heard something…" Angela squinted into the blanket of rain, wondering whether someone or something was hidden in its midst.

"It's probably the Chihuahua that hangs out here," Elli said, her relaxed tone failing to Angela's alertness.

"Mmm…I'm not too sure…" Angela said with her eyebrows furrowed intensely. She waved Elli off in departure.

"You go on ahead, Elli. I'll just meet you there," Angela said as she dashed off into the direction of the town square's large tree. She stopped in front of its sign, straining her ears to catch even a small dribble of the noise again. Her efforts were quickly rewarded by the sound of a high-pitched groan. The source of the noise was nearer than she thought! She spied its cause wriggling in discomfort at the base of the tree. Her burning desire overwhelmed any hesitation to approach the odd sight and she stooped down to inspect the noise-maker.

It was a little kid…or at least that what it looked like. The tiny humanoid pulled his carefully stitched hat further over his large head.

"This wet stuff is the wooooorst!" the creature wailed. Angela nearly fell backwards at this development. It talked. The weird, little, elf creature talked _actual_ words. She rubbed her saucer-wide eyes to ensure this wasn't some dream or illusion. It was real. Unconsciously, she extended her umbrella towards the disgruntled creature in an effort to comfort it. The small being looked up in surprise from the sudden relief, its beady eyes meeting Angela's chocolate ones. After a few moments, Angela tried reaching out to touch the mysterious creature, but she would've never guessed its abrupt reaction.

"AAAUUUGH!" it screamed out at the top of its tiny lungs and began to fade away quickly, its' being replaced by a dainty flower. Angela had hardly found time to react before its tiny figure was gone entirely. She tried speaking to the flower to coax it back out, but her desperate pleas did nothing. Angela stood up, dizzy with heavy questions saturating her brain. What was that thing? Where did it go? How come Elli couldn't hear its cries too?

These were the thoughts that permeated Angie's mind as she walked into the Sundae Inn.

"It's about time you showed up, Ms. Angela," an aloof voice called out to her. She squeezed her eyes shut in disbelief.

_No, it couldn't be_…her stomach regained its queasy feeling at the thought of the voice's owner. Her body tensed up and her legs felt as heavy as lead. Every ounce of her person protested against his uninvited presence and refused to move any closer to him from where she was.

"Will I have to carry you again or are you going to join us here?" the voice said unabashedly. Angela's cheeks burned with fury. She flicked her eyes towards the middle of the restaurant, where Elli, the mayor, and Gill Hamilton were all seated. Gill patted the empty wooden seat next to him while Elli mouthed out an apology in the background.

"Won't you take a seat, Ms. Angela?"

* * *

**Chapter 7 is done! :D Huzzah, mine kinsfolk!**

**"Chapter 7 is complete? Nay, thou liest! 'Tis only an illusion! We hath been promised its showing nought till next week!"**

**Ah, this is nary a dream or trick, dearest reader, but truth! Verily, the truth! Thus, may thine eyes feast happily upon it and thy minds meditate on its script! I have blessed thee with its showing and recompense I wish nought for besides thine opinions in the shape of a review! Whether thou didst spite it or care for it tenderly, I do desire to know! Pray tell, readers! Bestow upon me thy words of opinion for they are the oil of my lamp and the wind in my sails! uou**

**Enough of that gobbledygook. I've devised a tentative schedule for S&C, in which is updated weekly around the beginning of the week, notwithstanding bonus updates midweek. We'll see how it works out. :3c**


	9. Unexpected

Angela twiddled at the mushrooms on her plate absentmindedly. She had never been fond of mushrooms and wasn't about to start liking it now. Gill had ordered the mushroom stir fry for her without even asking for her opinion. She stole a glance at the man sitting next to her with annoyance. Gill was silently eating his tomato risotto with an unreadable look on his face. He calmly took a quick sip of his tomato juice, trying to hold back the sharp rebuke he was itching to give Angela for the wrath emanating from her. _Jerk_...Angela thought with contempt while she forced down a bite of her food.

Elli kept glancing back and forth between the pair opposite her, sensing the heavy atmosphere weighing down the table. The inn's staff had also noticed the thick tension at their table and had tried to avoid them, providing only a miniscule amount of customer service. Elli nudged the mayor, who was obliviously enjoying his fish meuniere, to say something. He cleared his throat, getting the attention of the farmer who was glad for the distraction while Gill ignored it and continued eating his meal quietly.

"So, Angela, how's life on Caramel Farm?" the mayor said as he dabbed his napkin at the crumbs lingering on his face. Angela beamed at the question.

"Everything's great!" she said cheerfully, "farming's not as hard as I thought it'd be." Gill's ears listened to the conversation intently while his eyes remained glued to his plate.

"I've already weeded most of my plot and my plants have already produced their first batch of crops," Angela said with pride. The mayor applauded for her efforts in admiration and Elli joined in the applause, but with less gusto. The farmer's face pinkened in embarrassment, not used to the attention. Gill rolled his eyes at the public display of his father's excessive mirth. All this fuss over some grass and veggies? The value of hard labor had obviously diminished, if the term "hard labor" could even be used to describe the meager work Angela had accomplished.

"The only problem I've had so far is this huge tree sitting in the middle of my plot. I've been forced to plant in circles around it and it makes it kind of hard to water everything," Angela continued.

"A huge tree, is it? Hmmm…."the mayor said as rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His mind was shuffling through various solutions. The farmer recognized the look on his face and quickly added the solution she had formulated herself.

"I-I'm going to take care of it though! Er, I mean, Luke is," Gill nearly choked at the mention of the incompetent oaf's name. He subtly snatched his drink off the table and began to chug it down vivaciously. The color of his face matched the color of his drink.

"I'm going to have Luke take care of it, but I haven't asked him about it yet," Angela said, paying no heed to Gill's episode.

"Ah yes, Luke! Dale's, er, outgoing son…" the mayor's mind began to envision the charming pair-up of Luke and Angela. "Luke's a strong, dependable, and sturdy lad…hmm…." his distant look suddenly lit up like a bolt of lightning. "I approve! Excellent choice, Angela!" the mayor chortled aloud, catching the attention of the inn's staff. The mayor emphasized his sentence with a thumbs-up and a coy wink, both of which Angela could not interpret.

"Now, Gill," the mayor shifted himself to face the distracted young man in front of him, "how was your trip?" Mayor Hamilton asked his son eagerly. Gill, however, was unaware of the topic shift and was busy swiveling the scarlet liquid in his cup mindlessly. Elli sighed and kicked his leg under the table. Being ever mindful of their location and his position, he held in his loud yelp of pain, despite the lack of other customers. Gill shot a look of wrath at Elli. She returned the angry glare threefold and nudged her head at his father. Gill's narrow eyes widened with realization of the situation. Had his father asked him something?

"I-I'm sorry, father, could you repeat that? I was distracted by an ugly fly buzzing about," Gill said spitefully. Elli flashed her tongue at him in revenge for the childish analogy.

"I was wondering how your trip went, silly! You came back much earlier than I was expecting," the mayor said. Truth be told, he had been earnestly hoping that his son would become charmed by his potential-wife and that Gill would stay over at Toucan Island for a night or two. The mayor would've even been happy if Gill had disappeared for a whole month and returned a married man! Anything, he felt, as long as Gill was happy.

"Ah, my trip…" Gill replied. He stole a glance at the expectant woman at his side. Angela was eyeballing him with overflowing curiousity. She, too, was interested in what had occurred during his abrupt absence.

"It went…well. The business owners' readily agreed to my terms of contract and my presence here is an indicator itself of our swift meeting," he said candidly. Angela, who had been expecting to hear more, was disappointed with his straightforward answer. Elli was definitely right for saying it was serious business. She shoved another bite of mushrooms into her mouth, trying to ignore the odious taste.

"And your _date_?" the mayor asked with a coy tone. Angela was the one to nearly choke on her food this time. Serious, stern, and sordid Gill had disappeared…because of a _date_. She looked at the mushrooms on her plate. What twisted, anomalous kind of alternate universe had these things sent her to? She glanced at Elli, who was avoiding any and all eye contact. The town's secretary had suddenly become too occupied eating her meal to notice the set of eyes upon her. Angela turned her attention to the mayor's son. Gill's face had turned a lovely shade of pink, not because he enjoyed the date, but because his father's abrupt question had been uttered in front of someone who had no business in his personal life. He straightened his tie, once again feeling Angela's chocolate eyes aimed at him.

"She dumped me, father," Gill blatantly lied. Angela mentally scoffed at his obvious cover-up, but the mayor didn't notice his son's insincerity. Those three words had momentarily crushed his usual enthusiasm for life.

"Oh. I see…" he took a sorrowful bite of his fish. The disappointment had obviously not dampened his appetite.

"I tried my best, father, but c'est l'amour, non?" Gill twisted his usually straight face into what appeared to be a look of saddened regret. The mayor's heart nearly broke at that familiar expression. Over time he had come to genuinely believe all of Gill's white lies, even the half-baked facial attempts. Mayor Hamilton rebounded from his own despair to comfort his son.

"Don't worry, my boy! She was probably just not the right one for you!" the mayor said, stretching across the table to pat his son's shoulder in consolation. Gill smiled and nodded in agreement, thankful his father had finally dropped the subject. Or had he? The mayor settled back into his own seat, watching his son bite into a tomato slice. His eyes drifted to Angela, seated next to Gill, as she chewed her food laboriously with a grimace. A seedling of playful intent was suddenly planted in his mind as he viewed the combined duo before him.

"Actually, I think 'the one' might be closer than you think…" the mayor sneakily mentioned. The pair both looked up at him in surprise as the same thought ran through their minds.

_Oh no, please tell me he doesn't mean—_

"Angela, how about you and Gill go on a date when you have free time?" Their faces both shifted color in reaction to the ludicrous suggestion. One turned white. The other turned red.

"I'm joking, you two! No need to get all solemn!" the mayor guffawed at the small joke made. Angela sighed noisily in relief and slumped back into her chair. She had been scared the mayor would go through with his suggestion, despite the kicking and screaming that might occur from both parties. Gill, on the other hand, reddened exponentially from a combo of both mortification and irritation.

"Father, this is—"

"I know you've already become keen on a certain someone, Angie, so I won't burden you like that," Mayor Hamilton winked slyly at her once more. Scarlet rose into her cheeks as the meaning of the mayor's earlier hinting became very clear. Gill looked back at the blushing maiden at his side with remorse and turned towards his father, clearly agitated at the ensuing chaos.

"Father, can we please continue this discussion in the privacy of our home? There's no need to drag the whole island into this … issue," he uttered quietly, trying to avoid any further inquiring looks from the Sundae Inn staff.

"Alright then, Gill. We'll talk later…" the mayor said and tossed a wink at Angela. She responded with an awkward cough, pretending to have not noticed.

"Thank you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to pay for our dinner," Gill rose from the table and took the check that had placed there. He had not fully finished his meal, but their discussion had made him lose his appetite and he was more than anxious to escape further prodding from his father. Angela shot up from her seat with sudden realization at what was occurring and dashed to the cash register. Gill was already pulling out a large wad of bills from his wallet when Angela grabbed his arm.

"Don't pay for mine!" she objected firmly. Gill stared at her in disbelief and shook off her grip from him. He placed the stack on the counter. Angela grabbed it and shoved it back at him. The two locked eyes, one burning with determination and the other simply confused. Angela reached into her pocket and waved her tattered wallet in front of him.

"I'm paying for my own food, you jerk," she emphasized her decision with a slap of her wallet onto his chest. Gill scowled at her rebellion in disbelief.

"I hardly think the inn would appreciate such filthy lucre from a starving pauper," the prince-like man rebuked her and turned his attention back to the inn's proprietor. Angela grabbed his arm again, this time with more force. Gill veered his face towards back to her, exasperated with Angela's stubbornness.

"I don't care if you call me names or insult my hard-earned cash. I don't need guys like you trying to act all cool and snooty. _I'm_ paying for my own food to keep my dignity while I still have it," she replied fiercely. Obviously, there was no wavering of her decision. Gill scoffed loudly at her declaration of "dignity". Angela was wasting his time debating over a simple matter and he had better things to do than stand her all night at an impasse. There was only thing to do against a persistent woman like this…

With their eyes still tied, Gill's free hand wrapped around her thin waist. Angela's heart suddenly skipped a beat in reaction to the odd sensation of warmth and firmness on her torso. He began to slowly draw her into him with his unyielding arm and bright eyes. The innocent farmer felt her chest thump widely and her cheeks burning like her former determination. Angie tried to deter him with insults like their first meeting, but her tongue went limp and the insults were lost to the nether. Slowly, slowly, their figures grew closer together. Angela squinted her eyes shut, unsure whether he'd shove her away vigorously or envelop her nervous person in his steady arms. He instead gently pulled the back of her head towards his face, the aim of his lopsided smiling lips unclear. Their faces were mere millimeters apart before Gill swiftly turned her head aside and settled his mouth near her ear. Angela scrunched herself up further, feeling both discomfort and odd pleasure from Gill's closeness.

"The poor should quietly accept the generosity of the wealthy, Ms. Angela," he softly whispered into her tingling ear. Whatever romantic gesture Angela had been half-anticipating, it certainly hadn't been that arrogant statement. Gill's sturdy arm suddenly left her side and pushed her shoulder back forcefully. Having taken care of his pest, Gill quickly paid the bill, and disappeared into the outside darkness.

Angela had tumbled into the ready arms of Elli. The farmer stood there dazed with what had just occurred. Her body had gone limp with shock and she hung in Elli's trembling arms for a few moments before recollecting herself. Elli sighed as she helped Angie sort herself out. The word "unfair" came to mind as she weighed the pair's contrary amounts of experience with the opposite sex. Being his confidante, Elli knew quite well how many young ladies Gill had met and used his methods of rejection on. Angie, on the other hand, seemed highly inexperienced, purely innocent, and easily influenced by simple actions from a guy, Gill's performance as a prime example.

Besides the stunned mayor and the bewildered farmer, no one else seemed terribly astonished at Gill's actions. They had seen it all before; Kathy had experienced it firsthand, while Colleen and Jake experienced it with their daughter, Maya. For someone who proclaimed to have no time for women, Gill certainly seemed experienced at handling them.

* * *

**It's been a little over a week since "Of Spite & Sprites" was posted and the extra bit of time + a sturdier release schedule has allowed me to work on three chapters simultaneously. This was of the first of the said triad of chaps and should I find myself with another completed one by Tuesday...well, we'll see. :3c**

**Ah, the semi-intimate moment near the end was somehow difficult to write. =_=;; I at least hope it gave something akin to warm, fluffy feels in your innards. I certainly think Gill's buzz-killing sentence could've been wittier; if you have something more clever/arrogant/presumptuous that he could utter in mind, I'm totally open to suggestions on refining that bit. Also, because there is no proper pairing option for story descriptions yet, I'll be temporarily removing Luke and Selena from the character list. The current setup has caused it to look like a GillxLuke story to peeps who don't read summaries. :P Once again, the name removals are _temporary_.**

**Did this chapter make your ****_kokoro go doki-doki*_****? Did it make you want to burn it in an eternally fiery pit of salsa? Or did it make you just go "meh, it's good, i guess?" Whichever way your ****_jimmies were rustled*_****, I would certainly like to know about it! :D Leave me a review if you've a word to say, follow the story if your curiousity must be sated, or favorite it if you're enjoying the story so far! **

_*Please note that the following terms were being used ironically. There is no need to be concerned for any future appearances of excessive weaboo or meme phrases. I've outgrown those days. =3=_


	10. She

With one last stroke of his pen, Gill reclined back into his soft leather chair and mused over the words chronicled into his diary. Recording the day's events was a habit his mother had established into him at a very young age. Even after her …departure, Gill had remained faithful to his mother's teachings and had consistently wrote about each and every day of his life. No matter how tired he was or how little had happened in the day, Gill had always made it a point to put something in the green leather-bound book. Today's entry had come out much longer than he had expected, but in fairness, so many noteworthy events had taken place that day. His troublesome date, the awkward dinner, the tempting of a shrew – each had been carefully described and recounted from Gill's perspective. After finishing reading through what he had written for the day, he flipped through other former entries. As he flipped through the pages of the past, Gill noticed a recently recurring trend. Brief mentions of "that woman" kept popping up sporadically in various parts of the handwritten text. What was so special about her that she had polluted Gill's diary? Gill folded the journal shut and deliberated over the question himself.

Previous wives-to-be had went on blind dates with him knowing quite well of his wealth and future position. Gill himself had known this and sometimes suspected his father did, too. Thus, armed with this knowledge beforehand, he had entertained their flirts and bluffs, toyed with their minds, and sent them on their way with no intent of ever seeing them again. An exception to this group was the ladies of Waffle Island, but there was no avoiding them. Instead _they_ avoided him, usually by pretending not to notice him or making themselves scarce whenever he was present in their company. Majority of the time, however, he never did hear back from those gold-diggers and they lay forgotten in the vast recesses of Gill's mind. But Angela? Her very being seemed to be meshed fully with his thoughts. Unlike the "mystery" and "rebellion" women of his past had offered to him, she was a challenge – a _real_ challenge. Even from their first meeting, Angela had dared to swim against Gill's ebb of formal talk and regal sweater vests. Despite his impending power and stores of wealth, Angela had braved his fiery insults with likewise fiery insults. She had even dared to hold her ground at the Inn and succeeded, well, mostly. His drifting thoughts meandered to the feeling of her thin torso in his arms. She had lost weight from the last time he had held her, but that was not the most unusual thing he garnered from the experience. Gill had felt a strange knob in his chest when he had embraced her. This feeling again…was it…?

**_No_**. Gill thought emphatically. _Hmph. She's not even my type, _he thought, with a cross of his arms and a haughty look. _My ideal type is definitely the intelligent, tall, and sexy kind._

A vision of a bespectacled Angela dressed in a white collared shirt and slimming pencil skirt manifested itself before him. She pushed up her glasses cutely and winked at him. Gill stiffened in his seat. He was aghast at the being his apparently manic mind had conjured.

_I-I change my mind! My type is definitely the cute, girly kind!_ The apparition of Angela suddenly changed outfits to a frilly, yellow dress with her hair in stubby pigtails. With a giggle, she twirled in her cheerful attire, earning Gill's shock at what his tired brain had created. He pressed his temples in distress.

_What am I thinking? That woman…Angela…she's just a lowly farmer with poor taste in occupations and men…_Gill sighed and looked up from his mental ramblings once more to see if his hallucinations had finished mocking him. Instead, in their place, stood Angela . Simply Angela. No glasses or frills, just Angela as she always was: dressed comfortably with her cowlick standing at full attention. The apparition smiled at him, as if she was enjoying his stressed frustration.

_My imagination is going to be the end of me one day, _he thought with disdain and reclined back into his rubbery chair to gather what his brain seemed to want him to observe. Fair skin yet to be lovingly kissed by the island sun, warm, brown hair tenderly caressing her face, and untainted, pink lips spread into a smile threatening to infect him– these were the things about her that had been burned so clearly into his mind.

As always, a quiet knock at his thick door interrupted his mental musings. The familiar voice of his father rung through the dense wood.

"Gill?" he hesitantly called out, unsure whether his son was asleep or not, "are you still awake?" The image of Angela began to slowly dispel into the air as reality tried to regain its foothold within Gill's mind.

"_Stay_," Gill whispered firmly, as if he was commanding a pet. The apparition of the farmer frowned sternly in disapproval as Gill ignored another hushed knock at the door. Receiving only silence, Mayor Hamilton gave up, assuming Gill was tired from his trip and had already fallen asleep. The mayor's son sighed and brushed back his falling hair in relief. "Angela's" face scrunched up with anger at his behavior towards his father. The conjurer of the mental image softly laughed at its accurate likeness to the real Angela. If all this had actually happened in real life, she would've probably called him rude names by this point. As if deterred by his chuckling, the beautiful delusion immediately dissipated before him. Had it been the real thing, she too would've left him, presumably insulted by his nonchalant merriment. No matter. He had mused over her being long enough to realize what his next course of action was to be.

His fantasies having abruptly ended, Gill stretched into a yawn. He glanced at his ever-present wristwatch and realized how late into the evening his meditations had dragged him. Without bothering to change his clothes, Gill grudgingly transferred from his warm spot at his desk to the cool mattress of his bed. He loosened his tie and mindlessly tossed it to some unknown spot on the carpeted floor. He was tired physically from his trip and mentally from all this fantasizing. His eyes fluttered sleepily. His body was losing the fight to drowsiness, but his mind kept trying to work at top gear. Like the darkness blanketing the island's night sky, Gill's eyelids eventually succumbed and darkness overtook his vision. His mind's eye, too, was beginning to lapse into sleep mode. One last vision showed itself to Gill's mind as he nodded off. It was an extravagant vision of him holding a young lady very closely to himself, their tender embrace displaying their closeness and affection for each other. Dainty flower petals seemed to fall endlessly around the well-dressed couple and the sound of melodic bells rung aloud merrily. The woman pulled back from his hold and looked fondly into his own eyes.

It was she.

* * *

**Gill has certainly become entranced with Angela at this point if he can envision her before him. :T Hopefully, the little hyperlink at "she" worked for y'all. If it didn't, well then, globdobbit Fanfiction. =_= Here's the last part of the youtube url instead - /watch?v=be7wK8CoSss **

**I thought I'd throw it into here since some things (that need go unsaid) are established in this chapter.I prefer this cover of the song, but if you like, you can listen to the original version instead. I take no offense. :P**

**Feel like you're the one throwing those endless flower petals over the developments of this chapter? Or are you feeling more like Gill's disapproving manifestation of Angela? Let me know in a review! :D No matter the length or content, I heartily enjoy feedback from my readers, both from the known followers *winks blatantly at Inuhana, Peanut-Bata, & BlueCrimson* and my ninja readers. ;3c **

**S/N: I do not own HM:ToT. Or Sikyung. If only...;u;**


	11. Mermaid

Not a single wisp of white fluff blotted the island's bright blue skies that morning as Gill braved the chilling autumn wind towards the town hall. He shoved his fists further into his shallow pants' pockets; at least it wasn't raining. He would definitely take his shivering over soggy shoes and muddied pants. He stopped in front of the archaic building before him and took a moment to inspect the grounds around him. So far, he had seen no trace of his jaunty father, but a surprise appearance from him was making Gill antsy.

Their talk from last night had been left unfinished and Gill was planning to keep it that way. He had decided to "sleep in" that morning and Mayor Hamilton, with all of his fatherly wisdom, allowed Gill some time off from work. He left a note on the table, as well as some breakfast, and went off into the brisk fall weather to conduct his usual mayor duties. Still, there was always the off chance of father and son spontaneously meeting each other on the streets of the town. If that did happen, there was no escape and the certainty of Mayor Hamilton dragging his son home to discuss Gill's marital future was definite.

The mayor's son anxiously peeped into the cloudy windows of the town hall. As far as he could tell, only Elli's bobbing head could be seen from behind the desks. He retracted his focus to the unclean windows. The hard rainwater had left stains and spots on the usually spotless glass.

_Those will need to be cleaned…_ he thought demurely as he pushed the doors of the building open. Elli looked up from her work and peered at the familiar visitor in surprise.

"Gill? I thought you're dad told you to take the day off," Elli said as Gill breezed past her desk. He was obviously not here to work or chat. No, Gill was here because of a passing thought that had occurred during his interesting meditation the night before. There was no need to blab all that to Elli, though.

"He did. I just need to check up on something," he said simply. His unhurried steps on the creaking staircase echoed in the nearly soulless structure.

"Alrighty then, do as you please…" said the town's secretary as she returned to her papers.

* * *

Quite some time passed before the old staircase was heard groaning again under the foot of the mayor's son. He rounded the corner dividing the public and office areas and flopped into his familiar seat. Elli paid him no heed as she scribbled indescript letters onto the paper she was poring over.

"Elli?" Gill said, hoping to divert her attention to him. She hummed out a reply akin to an inquiring "yes."

"Have you ever heard the story of the little mermaid?" he asked thoughtfully as he thumbed the binding of his book.

"Hmmm, I used to love that story when I was a little kid," she responded fondly. Elli placed her pen down to momentarily reminisce about those happy days gone by.

"The ending was always my favorite part, where the little mermaid and the prince are finally together," She shook her head to break out of the reverie and continued her work. "But why do you ask?"

"…I was going to ask for your opinion on the mermaid, but apparently we didn't listen to the same versions growing up…" Elli broke her focused eyes from the monochrome paper to gawk at Gill in surprise.

"There's other versions?" Gill sighed at the ignorant response. Elli, taking this as a sign he would elaborate, pulled her chair closer to his in excited interest. He gave her look of contempt as he cleared throat and prepared to enlighten her with the true version of the timeless tale.

"Once upon a time there was a little mermaid, a mermaid with an enchanting voice and beauty beyond compare," he began. Elli's eyelids closed as she pictured the lovely nautical maiden from her childhood fables twirling happily under the sea.

"As per family ritual, on her fifteenth birthday, she was allowed to preview the surface world and fell in love with a handsome prince with only a single glance," Gill continued. Elli's prince was a charming and strong gentleman with an unconventional hair color. Her mermaid's heart swooned over this gorgeous man and Elli, beginning to get too caught up in her imagination, could swear her own heart was being sent aflutter. Gill eyed her curiously as the secretary grinned dopishly. He rolled his eyes and carried on with narrating the classic story.

"She later rescued him, brought him to a temple, and then disappeared, but the prince never saw her. He sees some other young lady once he wakes up, but that's not important," Gill waved off the last part nonchalantly.

"Desperate to be with him, she cut a deal with a Sea Witch. In exchange for her voice and the inability to ever return to the sea, the mermaid will grow legs. Also, while I'm at it, once they die, mermaids turn into sea foam because they have no soul. So, the Sea Witch also says she must get the prince to marry her so a part of his soul will flow into her. Otherwise, on the dawn of the first day when he marries someone else, the little mermaid will immediately die and turn into sea foam," Gill said without emotion. Obviously, he held no pity for the sordid fates of the mythical beasts.

"Mmm… seems like some heavy stuff for a little mermaid," Elli noted, her mind still envisioning the love-struck creature.

"Well, she said yes, got legs, and went to the surface world," he continued amidst Elli's commentary. "Luckily for all her poorly thought-out plans, she was rescued by her dear prince and they had a splendid time together, although her new legs caused great pain for her. The king later told the prince to marry a princess, but the prince refused, because he didn't love her; he loved the girl who rescued him at the temple."

"Ooooh…."crooned Elli with a realization of surprised sadness.

"What?" Gill broke from the narrative to figure out Elli's saddened expression. "Oh…I guess that _was_ important…" Gill said as brushed his hair back in slight embarrassment at the miscalculation.

"Anyway, the king reveals that the girl from the temple is the princess. So, they got hitched and lived happily ever after. The end."

"The mermaid! What about her?" Elli interjected.

"Hm? Oh, right. Well, the little mermaid was left with nothing but pain and regret after that. Now that the only thing that made her painful legs worthwhile had vanished from her life, they were useless to her. She couldn't even return to the sea to be comforted by her family. So it was either die because the prince married somebody else or die because she forced herself into the sea," Gill resumed the story's finale.

"This isn't going to have a happy ending, is it?" Elli's childhood vision of the happy couple was disintegrating rapidly in her mind's eye.

"Wait for the end," Gill replied; irritation was beginning to cloud his nonchalant tone. "The little mermaid's sisters suddenly showed up and offered her a knife they exchanged for their long hair. They tell her that the Sea Witch told them to have the little mermaid slay the prince and have his blood drip onto her feet,"

"This is getting pretty dark for a kids' story."

"Shush."Gill enunciated with aggravation. He was beginning to tire of Elli's constant comments and surprised remarks.

"If she does that, she'll become a mermaid again and live out her life. The little mermaid couldn't bring herself to kill her one true love, however. Looking sadly at the castle where the prince was sleeping with his bride, she threw herself into the ocean and disappeared into the air as bubbles. The end," Gill finished the sordid story with a wide sarcastic smile, opposing Elli's distressed frown.

"Booo. You've ruined my favorite childhood story," Elli jeered, obviously upset with the melancholy ending. She returned to her work, feeling disillusioned.

"It _is_ a rather sad story, isn't it?" Gill reclined back into his seat, thinking over the passage he had uttered. Elli's frown grew deeper, but she said nothing.

"The little mermaid gave up practically everything to be with her prince; she gave up her family, her voice, and her fins and traded it all for suffering and pain," he thought aloud. The story seemed to run parallel with the rumors he had heard before of politicians and CEOs giving up everything they knew and had for common nobodies who they professed to love. Theirs was a damned love, scorned and disapproved by family and members of high society. Those controversial couples often disappeared into the shadows and their existence forgotten, save for when they were mentioned as an example of ridicule.

"She could've died peacefully, but her 'love' got in the way of practicality," Gill's realistic perspective only seemed to shed light on the unhappier parts of the story. Elli, although she still felt unpleasant, defended her favorite fairy tale.

"Well, even though he broke her heart, the little mermaid _still loved_ the prince,"

"But why? Why go through all the torment only to disappear into bubbles?" The whole affair was wasteful, excessive, and as far as Gill could tell, doomed from the start.

"Love makes you do some crazy things, Gill," Elli said with a tender sigh.

"Hormones, maybe, but not love," Gill scoffed as he pulled out his usual defenses.

"Anyhow, I don't like this story as much as you do," assumed Gill. "The story's main point seems to be that women are only objects. Like what the Prince did to the mermaid, men can throw them away when they've had their fun and the woman will disappear into bubbles…"Gill's mind sauntered to his musings from the previous night. The idea was indeed applicable.

"It's barbaric thinking, Elli," he rounded out his argument with a final thesis.

"Must you suck the innocence out of all things magical, Gill?"Elli lamented. Gill's future children were probably going to end up just as sullen and serious as their father at an early age.

"The mermaid was going to kill her beloved. What's innocent about that?" he counteracted. Elli opened her mouth to reply, but Gill had a point.

"…touché," was her only answer. Gill smirked at his victory and rose from his seat. There wer other things that he needed to see done and time would not wait for any man, even if that man was the wealthy, future mayor of Waffle Island.

"I'll be borrowing this," he said with a wave of the book. The golden embossed letters shimmered in the light. Elli caught the glitter of the words and scribbled it onto a piece of scrap paper nearby.  
"Sure thing. I'll sign it out for you,"

"If my father shows up, have him look over the proposals for tomorrow's business meeting."

"Yes, Mr. Hamilton," Elli said and stored the command as a mental memorandum.

"And schedule an appointment with Dale. There's something I need him to take care of."

"Will do, Gill."

"Also, have someone clean the windows outside. I could see better through the rust holes in Pascal's ship than those windows." Elli glowered at her departing employer's back. Having "someone" clean the windows usually meant having Elli herself do the windows – a demand not listed in her job description and unpleasant to fulfill in this bone-chilling weather.

"Anything else, Your Highness?" she huffed out at his tall figure.

"That'll be all, Ms. Elli." Gill's lips leaked a genuine smile as the rugged doors closed behind him. He was looking forward to his next appointment; there was a little mermaid expecting him.

* * *

**I'm pretty sure y'all can figure out who Gill's chosen to be his mermaid. I'm sure he thinks it's great sport. :T Anyways, we'll come to see how Angela's dealing with what happened in ch. 9 per the next chapter. No midweek updates this time around due to my midterms coming up. I'm so pumped. Whoo. Exciting. (That was sarcasm just now. It's sometimes hard to tell when it's just black lines on a screen and a disembodied mental voice. Ha ha...)**

**If you left a review last week, thank you! It makes me proud to know I've generated the doki-dokes in someone's heart UuU...and that I subsequently crushed those same feelings. 8D I take it that means I'm doing a good job, yeah? OuO;; I'm also pleased that a few more people have followed/favorited; your continued support of this upstart author is overwhelmingly awesome. uou**

**Did I send your heart aflutter like the little mermaid's (& Elli's) prince? Or did I crush it the same way that the prince did to our sub-story heroine? Leave your feels in the form a review! Follow the story if you're practically on the edge of your seat in anticipation! Or favorite it just because you really, really, really like this story! :D Feedback is always a treat I enjoy receiving from ****_you_****, wonderful, nondescript reader. :3c **


	12. We Make a Good Pair

The dull sickle cleanly decapitated yet another sprightly weed without resistance. The grim reaper of these wild plants paused for a moment to brush back her tumbling bangs into place. She huffed loudly in annoyance as the autumn sun and freezing winds tried to dissuade her from her laborious work. They urged her to return to sleep in her warm bed and leave her pathetic plants to rot in this ill-begotten climate. Angela dogged on with her chores, however. It was the only way for her to clear her mind right now.

She didn't like him. It was a true and resolute statement. Angela _did not _like him and had determined that she never would, even from the very beginning. He was too arrogant and irritating of a person for her to ever bear any affection for. Angela was hardly even willing to at least _try_ to like him. He could ignore her all he liked and Angela could live quite happily that way, but he seemed to keep butting into her life despite the different polarities of their personalities. Was it because of that stupid saying? Opposites attract? _Damn the person who had stated it to be a law of nature, _berated Angela.

She wasn't conscious the first time he had held her in his arms, so everything had stayed quite vivid in her mind this time. The warmth of his breath near her hair, his low, smooth voice, the assuring grip on her waist: they were all feelings she was anxious to erase completely. She groaned audibly and slashed through another weed as if to cut the memory out from her brain.

And then, there was last night's dream. As if to add to her chaotic state of mind, the mysterious fairy-like lady had reappeared. Her message was as undecipherable as the first time, and yet, the vision of her was still so clear and vivid. What was she trying to say?

Angela's distracted state had made her careless and she tripped backwards over a protruding stone in the ground. A yelp escaped from her scrunching face as her body braced itself for a rough and painful landing. Her heavy scythe rattled on the firm earth beneath her, producing a tremendous clatter painful to the ears, but the expected pain of her body never came. Instead, she had fallen onto some warm, breathing object behind her. It thumped quickly under the farmer's weight. The danger having been averted, Angela poked an eye upwards at her hero.

_Luke?_ She thought with hope. The bright sunlight only served to mask her hero by producing a shadow on his face. Her savior, although she could not him it very well, was also inspecting the maiden leaning on his chest.

"Good morning, Ms. Angela," the voice said. The formality and subtle tone of haughtiness was unmistakable. Angela had been rescued by the same man haunting her thoughts: Gill Hamilton. She sincerely hoped his role as her savior was not going to be a regular thing between them.

She quickly pushed her weight off of him with a scowl marking her earlier curious face. Angela's dark eyes bored through the culprit of her flustered state. Gill scarcely flinched from the hexes being cast from the farmer's cursing eyes; he had received much worse before. Her dark mood soon leaked its foul intentions into words.

"Do you have some sort of a death wish?" she growled roughly. Gill took a step back, somewhat perturbed at the farmer's uncharacteristic anger.

"Excuse me?" Gill asked. For once, he was hoping his acute hearing had been wrong. Had this lowly farmer just threatened him? The visitor felt she was lucky he was even gracing her with his presence. Angela shook her head as she bent to pick up her fallen tool.

"Trespassing on my property like it's nothing...tch," she chided. "How typical of rich people…" Angela's eyes rolled at her shaken pest. He had been honestly looking forward to messing with Angela today and had prepared himself for the worst of insults, but now threats and scolding? What other ways would she surprise him?

But now was not the time to admire her spontaneity. She had just threatened to end his existence and apparently given a reasonable cause for her judgment.

"Hey! You shouldn't be using such coarse language with someone like me," he vainly tried to correct her. A glint of admiration tainted the otherwise callous remark.

"Oh! Excuse me, your Majesty!" Angela dipped into a mocking curtsy. It was the second time today Gill had been teasingly titled as royalty. "My tongue often runs loose when I'm upset, sire," she snapped sharply at him.

"Ah, last night…" Gill recalled. Surely, she was still flustered with a new wave of unfamiliar feelings. This, he incorrectly presumed, was the cause of her unusual temper.

"You shouldn't feel too giddy about what happened last night, Ms. Angela. I didn't come here to fulfill your girlish fancies of sweeping you off your feet like Prince Charming," he said with a smug grin. Gill often marveled at the supposed effect he often had on the opposite sex. It was a wonder that women even held themselves together when his eyes were on them. Angela only scoffed at his feigned assumption and swiped at another weed angrily. She was pretending they were Gill's babbling head.

"But I do have a present for you," he said as he produced a slim, white envelope from his waist-coat. Gill's gift went unheeded for several moments as Angela viciously cut down another weed. Her current mood certainly made her formidable – especially with that scythe in hand. Her head finally twisted towards Gill and eyed his offering questioningly.

"I don't want it," Angela said with a flat tone. Having made her decision, she returned to her task of reaping weeds. Not to be deterred so easily, Gill lunged for her gloved hands and pulled her up from her crouched posture. The scythe clattered on the cold ground once more. Angela kept her eyes away from his as Gill's warm hands wrapped around hers. Although she was probably stronger than him, she made no resistance as Gill forced her to grip on the papered present. Resistance would prove futile at most, anyways. The worst she could do was curse inwardly at him. He took a step back and nodded at the envelope.

"Read it, Ms. Angela," Angela glared at him disdainfully for his behavior. She opened the crumpled sachet and read the contents carefully. _Dry cleaning for the following items: Wool vest, cotton shirt, silk tie, dress shorts. Total: 17,000G._

_He's kidding_, Angela thought in disbelief. She held the paper closer to ensure her eyes were not playing tricks on her. Gill was expecting _her_ to pay for _his_ soiled laundry. Not only this, his laundry was going to cost her all of her fall and winter profits at most. At the rate her plants were producing crops, it might even take her longer than two seasons to pay it off. Her lips began to curve into a wide smile that masked her blinding fury at the pompous presumptuousness of the man before her.

"What is this?" she asked with sarcastic blitheness. Gill blinked blankly at her question.

"Are you blind?" he practically laughed at the gaiety, or rather stupidity, of the inquiry, "Did your parents not provide you if an education? Ah, really," he looked upwards as if to implore some invisible being for the cause of his suffering,"…are these the kind of people polluting the air on my island?" Angela's fists tightened into dangerous weapons waiting to be unleashed on this incredulous man.

"You must really wanna die today, huh?" she warned.

"It's my dry-cleaning bill, idiot. For my sweater vest, remember? You vomited on me?" So it was true. This blond-haired idiot _was_ expecting her to recompense for her untimely accident. Angela balled up the paper and launched it at Gill. He flinched at the projectile.

"Hey! What are you—"

"Get off my farm, Hamilton." Angela returned to swinging her sickle at more innocent weeds.

"Hmph. I'm not just someone you can push around so easily," Gill stated. He took several steps back, though. Despite his confident words, he knew danger when he saw it, and Angela's forceful swings of the scythe would provoke caution in even the most foolhardy of idiots. Speaking of idiots…

"And I'm certainly not a dim-witted pack of muscles you can simply boss around, Ms. Angela," Gill leered as Angela visibly twitched at the comment. Encouraged by her reaction, he continued.

"Is that guy really a 'friend' or is he really just a nice, brawny tool for you to order around, because it certainly seems that way to me." Angela stood to meet his cold, unfeeling eyes. Her own were wide with indignation. She could stand having Gill pick on her, but to belittle one of the friends she held dear? Not today.

"Get. Out." She boldly demanded. Angela no longer felt embarrassed to be standing so close to him; this was a matter of personal pride.

"You have no right to expel me from where I'm standing." Gill looked down inquisitively at the furious maiden daring to oust him from his spot.

"It's _MY_ property."

"And it's _my_ island," he retracted his brash comment "Or, will be, eventually. Anyway, I'm not leaving," Gill reiterated. His resolute person stood tall against Angela's likewise resolute figure. With neither willing to back down, it seemed they had reached another impasse in their tumultuous relationship. Their eyes locked in a heated war of their own until Angela suddenly broke away from the battle. She had decided to stop amusing Gill's taunting and get on with her work.

"Fine. Do what you want," Angela said and tried to brush off his persistence with as much calm as she could muster."I have things to do anyway, unlike you, obviously." She switched out her dangerous scythe for a safer alternative: a watering can. With the mood she was in right now, one could never be too cautious.

"Fine." Gill dryly complied.

"Fine!" she echoed with annoyance. "Just…stay out of my way," Angela barked out and swung the watering can wildly, not mindful of flood she was unleashing on her plants.

"I could say the same to you…" Gill quietly muttered and retreated to a nearby bench.

* * *

Gill closed the well-read novel in his hands, bored. He had picked up the paper-bound version of the little mermaid's story hoping it would reveal some hidden gem of philosophical knowledge etched between the lines, but the black lines on each page only seemed to mock his fruitless search.

A brown leaf flitted lazily before him; its color reminded him of the reason he was parked idly at this uncomfortable wooden bench. He turned to the field where Angela was viciously tending to her crops…

…Or where she was _supposed_ to be viciously tending to her crops. The farmer had slipped away unnoticed while Gill was entertaining idle thoughts. He quickly launched out of his seat and bolted down the path to Waffle town. He finally caught sight of her nonchalant figure slowly nearing the inn. He doubled his pace with a muted curse brushing his lips.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Gill called out to an apparently deaf Angela. She continued her unhurried saunter as if there was no annoying blond-haired man badgering after her.

"Hey…HEY!" When he finally caught up to her, Gill grabbed her arm and spun her round to properly face him. His usually neat hair had become disorderly and beads of sweat had begun to appear on his forehead despite the short distance he had just run. Of course, Angela was not touched by the trouble he had gone through to reach her. If anything, she was amused to see him in this afflicted state, but nonetheless miffed he had caught her.

"Where are you going?" he panted out. His question was only met with cool silence.

"Answer the question properly, Ms. Angela, or I'll hug you again," Gill threatened her this time. He would be more than pleased to carry out this particular judgment. His captive sneered with a scoff.

"I have a debt to pay at the Sundae Inn, idiot," she said as she attempted to break free from his gentle grip. Gill only pulled her closer to grab her other arm as she tried to wiggle out.

"I'll pay it for you."

"Ugh. Do I really look that helpless to you?"she asked. It was a serious question. Was it just because of some unwritten law of high society to pity the poor that Gill wouldn't leave her alone?

"With you captive in my arms, I think you indeed look quite helpless, Ms. Angela," Gill said, fully amused at the situation. She groaned audibly for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day.

"Sheesh…" Without warning she kicked at Gill's unsuspecting shin. His hands immediately released her and grabbed for his aching leg. He howled with dramatic grandeur, hoping to inflict pity and remorse on his attacker. Angel, however, had abandoned the actor and was sprinting to the inn for sanctuary.

"Hey! Don't just walk off from a conversation!" Gill shouted as he hobbled after her on one leg. When she didn't turn around to at least give him dirty looks, he dropped the drama and began to chase after her.

"W-wait!"

* * *

"Good afternoon, Colleen!" Angela hurriedly said as she burst through Sundae Inn's doors.

"Oh! Angela! Good afternoon!" the pleasant inn-keeper beamed at the young farmer. Gill suddenly rushed through the double doors after her and panting like a hyena from his run. Angela stared at the heaving figure in disdain. Hadn't her kick at his leg been enough to ward off the pest? Colleen pulled two worn-out menus from beneath the counter and looked at the pair expectantly.

"Table for two?" Colleen inquired. Gill nodded vigorously in agreement and managed to huff out a reply.

"Yes, plea—"

"I'm not with him," the farmer immediately clarified. "And I'm not eating, either. I talked to Jake about some part-time work…?"

"Oh, that's right!" Colleen's eyes lit up as she remembered the conversation from before.

"He's upstairs putting in some clean sheets," she gestured with a nod to the stairs.

"Thanks!" Angela bolted away from the counter, anxious to escape the shadow of her persistent follower. Gill watched the brunette bounce eagerly up the stairs of the inn. To him, she seemed almost _too_ happy to start work.

"Table for one, Gill?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, please."

The inn-keeper-turned waitress placed the familiar plate of tomato risotto in front of the mayor's son. Gill's eyes were glued to the staircase, anticipating Angela to suddenly reappear. Colleen was about to return to her post before Gill stopped her with a question.

"Ms. Colleen?"

"Hm?" She hummed out in reply. It was surprising to have him speak to her suddenly. Usually, she would simply give him his food and he would just nod in acknowledgement or mumble some sort of thanks.

"What kind of debt does she have?" he said as steam from the dish sluggishly wafted into his view and disappeared into the air.

"Angie?"She looked back at the same staircase Gill was persistently watching. "Well, after you left last night, she apologized for what happened and offered to pay for her meal herself. When we refused because you had already paid for it, she bargained to at least help with some things in exchange for the meal. She was quite insistent, so Jake said 'yes' and here we are."

"Ah, how stubborn…" he dropped the stare, realizing Angela would probably not show herself at all as long as he was here. He lunged his fork into the pasta, evoking more steam to be released and giving Colleen the signal to leave him be. He poked at his food in deep thought.

"What's wrong with that girl? Why can't she just swoon over a rich, handsome gentleman paying for her food?" he thought with indignation and promptly stuffed a risotto piece into his mouth.

* * *

**I think S&C may be in due for re-titling/re-summarizing soon. I've been looking ahead to what's planned for future chapters and I think the title/summary may need to be revised for those purposes. Also, I've noticed there's quite a few stories using the title format "_ and _". :T Opinions, mi amigos?**

**You're favorite blue-nette will be making an appearance next chapter, as well as another character who may prove pivotal to the plot! :D ...maybe! ...well, nothing's written on stone yet, so... :I ...never mind my babbling! LukexAngela will occur to some degree next chapter, so look forward to it!**

**As always, thank you all ever so much for your insightful reviews! Your encouragement and comments mean a lot to me. ;u; (Ah, that sounded cliche...) And thank you to all you other ninja/known readers out there! I will (try to) not let you all down! :3c**

**S/N: Midterms can go suck lollipops, man. =A= Blargh.**


	13. Autumn Leaves

The sun peeked through the thick curtain of gloomy cloud, persistent to remind the residents of Waffle Island of its existence. A bird paused onto a branch to soak in the bare warmth emanating from a flittering sunbeam. It chirruped a sweet little song, but any cheeriness it was attempting to provide was soon dampened by the distant clamber of thunder. Rain was inevitable.

This fact, however, did not seem to bother two young men who were busy cutting away at wood in Praline Forest. A cool wind rustled through the thick collection of trees. The balding trees and their remaining leaves trembled in the wind. The scant collection of evergreen trees only shuffled their full branches, as if to grumble about the inclement weather. Autumn was drawing to a close. The pair themselves felt a shiver run through their bodies, but ignored it and kept on with their work.

Luke's strong hands were keeping a firm grip on his heavy ax as he swung it at a thick tree. It was hard work, but Luke was enjoying it and was making up battle cries with each swing. His loud shouts bothered no one, save a passing ferret who decided the noise bothersome and quickened its scurry.

Luke's companion and fellow lumberman, Bo, was too absorbed in his work to complain or even notice the blue-nette's racket. The small plank of wood in his careful hands was slowly being transformed into the form of a trotting horse. He twirled and slid the sharp blade in his hand with steady ease. Seated comfortably under a wispy oak tree, Bo became too busy whittling away to even notice that boisterous Luke had stopped his chopping and was hovering over him. Luke was diligently staring at the piece of wood in his friend's hand as it began its slow change and it was some time before he finally figured out what Bo was carving.

"WHOA!" Luke exclaimed and frightened Bo. The carver nearly cut himself with his knife at the exclamation.

"W-what is it, Luke?" Bo frantically asked, checking around him with the thought of impending danger foremost in his mind. Luke wiggled his callous finger at Bo excitedly.

"You!" He seemed to be at a loss for words to accurately describe his thoughts. Bo blinked vacantly, obviously not sharing the same wavelength as his friend.

"Uh, me?"

"You made that with just a little knife?" Luke pointed directly at the half-finished carving, marveling at his friend's skill. Bo possessed a trait that meticulous carvings demanded and that Dale had often chided his own son for lacking: patience.

"Er, yes...did you want to look at it?" Bo said, offering his work with a tad of hesitancy. Luke accepted the offer and poured over Bo's craftsmanship in awe.

"This is really great! It's better than anything I could ever carve," said Luke as his fingers traced over the horse's rough outline. Bo's cheeks flushed from the genuine compliment. He was thankful Luke's fiery eyes were too absorbed elsewhere to notice the color change and dusted off the collection wood shavings in his lap to distract his mind from the embarrassment.

"It's nothing, really. Just some whittling…"

"I'm serious, Bo. Seriously serious," Luke's thick eyebrows furrowed tremendously to accentuate his tone. It was an unusual look for the usually lackadaisical lumberjack. He mumbled more words of admiration thoughtfully.

"You have a special talent…"

"Thanks Luke. It means a lot to—"

"…which is why I want you to be my apprentice!"

"…What?"

"I want to offer you an apprenticeship! Take you under my wing! Like an eagle does or something…" Did eagles even take their young under their wings? Not important, Luke thought. Bo picked at a lone wood shaving on his pants, suddenly feeling disoriented, and scrunched up his eyebrows in mental deliberation.

"You want…to teach me things? Like how your dad does—"

"No!" Luke quickly interjected again. "Not 'Old-Man-Pops-style', but 'Super-Awesome-Extreme-Luke-Style'! You catch my drift, right?" Luke beamed at his would-be pupil with overflowing eagerness. Bo shifted uncomfortably in contrast to his companion's mirth. There were many reasons why he could not simply abandon his current tutelage and get willingly swept up with Luke's whirlwind idea; turning him down gently was going to be difficult.

"I don't know, Luke. I'm already your dad's apprentice and I still have six more years le—"

"He doesn't have to know about it! C'mon, Bo-tato! I'll teach you cool stuff, like how to chop down trees with one ax and, and, I'll even teach you my patented Hurricane Chop!" Luke tried to convince Bo and looked at his friend worriedly. Bo was beginning to waver, he could tell, but still seemed greatly hesitant to jump in on the offer. Luke quickly plopped down onto his knees to get eye-to-eye with his friend. He wrung his hands together and put on his best pitiful, puppy-dog look. "Come on, Bo! You'd be doing both of us a favor! I'll teach you and you can even teach me how to carve, too! Pleeeeease?" Bo could feel Luke's imploring look tearing down his walls of inhibition. He tried to stutter out a few more empty words of decline.

"Well, I—"

"Luke!" A feminine voice suddenly rang through the forest. Luke immediately switched his attention to it, completely forgetting his resolution from mere moments before.

"Angie?" He guessed under his breath and waited for it to appear again.

"Luke? Where are you?" At the sound of the distant, yet easily recognizable voice, Luke practically shoved the half-finished horse back at its creator and began waving his arms wildly in her approaching direction.

"ANGIE, OVER HERE!" he roared out, disturbing the peace once more.

"Ah, here you are… whew! That was quite a walk…"Angela trudged up the hill slowly. Bo watched her carefully as she approached. Yes, she had proven his savior from Luke's unrelenting persistence, but Bo could not help but feel somewhat bothered by the interruption on their "bro-time", as Luke had coined it.

"Hi, Bo!" Angela greeted him cheerily. He nodded cordially in reply and returned to his whittling, looking as if someone had borrowed his favorite plaything without permission.

"What brings you to my wooden kingdom today, Angie?" Luke crossed his burly arms with pride. If anyone had a right to call Praline Forest their domain, it would undoubtedly belong to Luke. He knew every tree, rock, and bush within the confusing confines of the forest, a fact he would unabashedly remind his father of often.

"Well, 'Your Majesty,'" Angela giggled," I was wondering if you could do me a favor."

"Sure! I'd do anything for you," Luke promised her. Bo nearly rolled his eyes at the romantic undertones of the pledge.

"There's this huge tree standing in the middle of my field and I can't cut it down myself, so I was wondering if you could help me with it?" She poked her fingers together nervously. She had high hopes he would agree to the unappealing task, but maybe he would be too busy or just flat-out unwilling for whatever reason.

"I'll do it!" he swiftly agreed. "I'll even do it in one fell swoop with my…" Luke fumbled for his reliable ax resting on the forest floor and posed with his arms flexing at full force.

"Hurricane Chop!"

"Great! I'm looking forward to it," she clapped her hands together in relief. With this task done, she now had plenty of time to go find the mayor and discuss her recent dreams of the fairy lady. Mayor Hamilton seemed to know something about it the first time she had mentioned it, so it was only plausible he knew more than he was letting on, Angela had reasoned.

"Well… can't I cut your tree down _now_?" Luke offered. It was tempting, but she'd have to put a literal rain-check on it. If she didn't leave _now_ for the Hamilton household, there was a high chance she'd end up caught in the rain.

"Maybe, but the weather is pretty –"

"Let's go!" Luke suddenly grabbed her hand and began pulling her away in the direction of Caramel River District. 'Maybe' was a good enough equivalent to 'yes' for Luke, evidently and Angela, surprised by the immediate reaction, found herself struggling to keep with Luke's inhuman-like sprinting.

"Wait, Luke! I'm not—"

"See you at the house, Bo-rrito!" Luke called out behind him to the young carpenter he was quickly putting distance behind. Bo sighed deeply as he watched the pair hand-in-hand.

* * *

"…which'll end at midnight on the same day, of course," the town's general store owner, Simon, concluded and turned to the head of the table expectantly. The rest of Waffle Island's business owners laid their eyes on the young Hamilton.

Today was the seasonal meeting of the town's business owners. At the end of every season, roughly every three months or so, they would collect together in Waffle Town's old classroom, now their meeting place, and discuss upcoming events, business expenditures, and the town's general economy . Currently, they were on the subject of this year's Winter/Christmas Festival Event proposal. During their last meeting, it had been suggested that the committee work in unison to produce a spectacular plan for the winter season. The project had quickly become a pet project for many and had sometimes caused strife from disagreements over trivial details, but most agreed, overall, it had strengthened the invisible ties of the already closely-knit community. Now, they only had to wait, anxiously so, to be rewarded with Gill's signature of approval.

Unfortunately for them, Gill's mind was not with the event-planning committee before him. It was prancing away at an idyllic farm not too far away from the town hall, where an entrancing brunette was cursing at him to get lost. Neither was his face was with them, as he had spun his chair around sometime during Simon's dry monologue. The only thing the rest of the table could see was the back of his chair. Some thought it was an improvement from the former view. Elli, who stood by his spot at the head of the table, nudged him subtly.

"Hm? Ah, what?" He turned to Elli in surprise.

"Something on your mind, Gill?" she whispered to him. Gill looked at her as if she was already supposed to know.

"Something? More like some_one_," he griped.

"Um,may I ask who it is?" Elli whispered as she looked back at the table's members nervously. Surely, there would've been a better time to ask the question, but Gill's response had made her very curious.

"Who else? " Gill huffed out loudly and spun his chair round again, "That person who popped out of nowhere and drives me –" Then he recalled exactly where he was and what was supposed to be doing.

"…crazy…" He looked over the face is the committee with a blank expression. His return to reality was greeted by a mix of confused faces and odd and expectant stares. Luckily his father wasn't present in the room to be involved in the ordeal. He cleared his throat to stifle the embarrassment he was feeling and quietly muttered to the town's secretary, "I hope you'll never have to deal with something like this in your life, Elli." She sighed again. Gill had been acting more distant than he usually did recently, an oddity that had not escaped his friend's notice. She'd have to bug him about it afterwards, Elli decided.

Gill stared down at the binder placed before him absently. He didn't even bother to open the binder and fully read the proposal before saying, "A Christmas Couple's Giveaway? This is it?"

"Yes, sir," Simon politely answered. Formality seemed more of a wanton indulgence than anything, especially considering that the head of committee was young enough to be his own son, but respect is what both Gil and his lofty position commanded of committee members. One day, they'd not only refer to him as 'sir', but also 'mayor.' The town's elders inwardly bemoaned the day this pigheaded youth would be their superior, not that he already was once a season.

The pigheaded youth looked about the room, briefly scanning the faces of the committee. Nervousness, impatience, and anxiety were commonplace in their meetings, but the air was thick with it and Gill immediately noticed this. He decided to test their tenuous mettle.

"Is this the best you can do?" he asked. Hesitant glances promptly flew all around the table before the group imperceptibly nodded.

"Are you sure?" he said to resonate the first question.

"Er, well…" Simon, who had the unfortunate luck of being the proposal's main spokesperson, looked to his wife pleadingly. Barbara only gestured with flicks of her head to stand up to Gill and not be a push-over like the rest of them.

Jin sighed quietly. The meeting would go nowhere if everyone kept quietly prodding away at each other to speak up. Like the rest of the town's business leaders, he too, had spent a great deal of time revising and collaborating over the island's big winter festival. It would truly be a shame to watch their beloved project die in the flames of Gill's simple prodding.

"…we'll redraft the proposal and have it finished by next week," appeased the doctor. Gill carelessly tossed the binder and its contents at Jin. Even though Gill himself required respect from his subordinates, he plainly held not an ounce of it for his own elders or superiors.

"A week is too long for such a short proposal. I want this on my desk two days from now," Gill demanded and a unanimous mute groan flooded the makeshift meeting room. The head of the committee ignored the distress of his people and swept his hair back thoughtfully.

"Also, a simple holiday giveaway isn't really that exciting is it? An offer like that could be found in any mall or department store in the mainland, right?" he paused to better form his thoughts, "Would it be possible for me to ask… whose idea was it to do a giveaway?"

"The whole committee planned and submitted the proposal, Gill…sir…" Simon answered. Gill snatched the binder nearest him (which was unfortunately Simon's copy) and glazed over its contents quickly. He tapped his hand loudly on the table as he read, commanding the attention of everyone present.

"'If it snows on Christmas Day, Waffle Town and her generous businesses will explode with giveaways for participating couples'… It's very similar to what we've been doing these last few years, and because it went well _those _years, you all decide to rebrand it and bring it up again _this_ year?" Gill's harsh judgment dismayed the committee group, but one could never expect less from this difficult person. They honestly hadn't planned to seem unoriginal and uncreative; they were simply trying to combine all of the previous years' most popular events into one enticing package.

"Well, it's very difficult to make up something new and sensational every year, so we thought it might be better to do something similar to our most well-known events…" Simon tapered off once he realized that the question had been hypothetical. That would explain Gill's annoyed glare towards him. Gill flapped the binder shut and straightened himself.

"My point is," he tried to clarify, "the idea is nice, but do we really have to do the same thing every other Dick and Jane does? Why does it always have to be all about couples anyways?" Several people who had suggested and encouraged that aspect of the proposal shuffled in their seats nervously. Craig, one of the older members present, was the next to speak up.

"There aren't that many single people these days, Gill," he openly stated. Others finally found the nerve to mutter agreements and opinions under their breath.

"Do you have a girlfriend, Mr. Craig?" Gill asked point-blank in an effort to clear the air of misgivings.

"…I have a wife," he evenly replied. Craig had almost been caught off-guard with that silly question. He'd never hear the end of it from his wife, Ruth, if he had blindly answered.

"I know an amazing girl who would be interested in the sweepstakes, but she's single…" Gill seemingly ignored Craig's simple response and continued with his own input. His eyes reverted back to that distant look for a moment.

"Let's take a moment to think about all of this," Gill drew himself to the table closer, "What kind of people would be more willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a Christmas vacation to some dilapidated island? Couples? Or unhappy, lonely people?" The members of the meeting looked to each other in confusion. The answer expected was obvious, but somewhat ridiculous. The future mayor explained his thoughts more.

"Obviously, the answer is lonely people because of their lack of marital obligations and their larger budget. 'Ah, another quiet Christmas by myself. A lovely vacation sure sounds nice.'" Gill imitated what he thought his fellow, unmarried powerbroker acquaintances might recant. "These are the kind of people we should be targeting," Gill said with finality. Several members jotted down some notes bordering on the lines of "_Gill is an idiot if he thinks this will work_," while the older folks simply shook their heads with a smile. The young Hamilton, obstinately taking this as a sign of approval, continued to the next part of his idea.

"And then there's the matter of snow. Is it more likely for it to snow or not snow on Christmas?" he theoretically asked. Everyone immediately locked eyes on the town's weather girl. Like a deer caught in the headlights, she froze up, unsure of what to say to appease the silent mob.

"Er, um, snow?" she managed to stutter out.

"Now, is it more likely for it to snow or rain on Christmas Day?" Gill asked.

"Snow," the owner of the town's local fishery, Ozzie, confidently voiced his opinion. All heads immediately turned to him for an explanation.

"As someone who watches the ocean skies every day, you can never tell that for sure until a few days before or even the morning of. But if I had to bet money on it, I'd say it'll snow," Ozzie hypothetically gambled. The older business owners who seemed to share the same thought laughed quietly and nudged Ozzie, saying they'd take him up on that bet. Others debated their own opinions amongst themselves. Gill smirked at the curveball he'd thrown at this flock of blind sheep.

"You're all wrong. The chance of nothing happening is even greater than snow and rain combined. After nothing, the possibility of snow follows, then snow and rain together, and then rain itself. The chance of it raining is the least probable," Gill went on to say.

"People get excited if there's a smaller probability of winning, especially if they believe some greater force of chance and luck is involved. As for the prize, there has to be something better we can offer than a lowly, commonplace giveaway…" he deliberated for a moment and then turned towards the town's head carpenter.

"Mr. Dale?"

"Er, yes?"

"How quickly can you build a house?"

"Well, depending on the weather, we can probably build it anywhere from three days to two months," Dale replied without an ounce of suspicion to what the young powerbroker might have in mind.

"I want one built a week from now, got it?" A proper house in seven days? Dale mulled over the demand before answering again.

"…I'm fine with that, but where are you planning to put it?"

"With such a tiny possibility and a huge prize, locals and tourists alike will go nuts over this year's special event," "If it rains on Christmas, we'll award the winner with their own piece of land in Caramel River District, complete with a small house already built for them," Gill said, effectively shocking everyone present.

"Gill, er, sir, the cost for something like that could run over 700,000G," Simon pessimistically fretted. It was a nervous over-estimate, Gill knew, but the price tag was a small issue to him. If anything, he could always pay the difference if needed.

"Then people will have to purchase at least 10,000G from various town businesses in order to participate. I'm sure you all can figure it out. It was_ your_ proposal, wasn't it?" Gill sneered wittily at no one in particular.

"Any oppose?" Silence answered him.

"Well, I believe that covers everything," Gill said and was about to call for an adjournment when his father's voice suddenly cut in.

"Actually, I have one last proposal to present before we dismiss," the older Hamilton, who had been observing the meeting quietly from the doorway since the subject of weather, proclaimed his presence.

"Yes… father?" Gill slumped back into his seat. There went his lunch plans…

"I propose that Angela be added to our committee by next season." Excited chatter suddenly lifted the dark moods Gill had inflicted on the committee. Gill remained stoic at the mention of her name, although something foul was emanating from him. Elli jotted down this fact for future reference.

"As far as I'm concerned, Caramel Farm is a business; Angela owns Caramel Farm. Therefore, as a business owner, she should be here with us to get involved with what we have planned," the mayor reasoned out. The committee murmured agreements to the plan; it made perfect sense to everyone - everyone, except Gill. He could think of a million, no, a billion reasons why he could never allow that to happen.

"Father, Ms. Angela –"

"I think it's a great idea, Gill," Jake immediately interjected. He had grown father-like fondness for Angie in the span of a day and would have no slandering of the hard-working farmer on his watch. The town's doctor was next to advocate for the proposed addition.

"I agree. In my opinion, she would provide some great input from the perspective of a youth." Those nearby to hear Jin's comment nodded in approval.

"Thank you, Mr. Jin. I'll take your opinion as an opinion," Gill flatly stated. Jin frowned, yet other stray positive comments continued to roam their way to Gill's ears. Everything seemed to add up in Angela's favor. All that was left was the sign of approval from their cold-hearted head of committee. Unfortunately, Gill seemed indifferent to the favorable assessments. His father spoke again before Gill could flat-out reject Angela's joining.

"Ooh! Before, I forget, I would also like to propose the reinstatement of Samson and Sue back into the committee," the mayor quickly added.

"I spoke with them recently and they're quite keen on re-joining," he nodded happily at the prospect. The owners of Pineapple Inn had previously disbanded from the committee under the pretense of business and personal issues. The sudden request for reentry was surprising, even for Gill. It'd be a miracle if their daughter was not somehow involved with their sudden enthusiasm, though.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" said Mira fondly.

"I don't remember seeing them at this year's Ocean Festival…"Ozzie stroked his stubbled chin thoughtfully.

"They didn't come. I should know," Pascal muttered as he nibbled on the end of his pipe.

"With all the new additions, you might have to build a new meetinghouse, eh, Dale?"Hayden, the local barkeep, chortled and jokingly nudged the carpenter who could only smile weakly. The prospect of building both a house in a week and a new, whole separate meetinghouse by the end of winter did not seem as amusing to him as it did to Hayden.

"THANK YOU ALL…" Gill raised his voice above the crowds to regain their scattered attention, "…for your very valuable opinions, but let's be reasonable here. Ms. Angela is simply too new to the island to actually benefit our work. I spoke with her recently and she also seems to have her hands quite full for the next season," he recalled mischievously with a coy grin spread on his face. Jin, who had previously worked alongside the girl, immediately spoke up in her defense.

"She's a fast learner, Gill. I'm sure she can pick up—"  
"Samson and Sue, due to their former experience and importance to our tourism, can count on seats come next season's meeting," Gill changed subjects to cut off Jin's pleas. He cast a smug look at Jin, challenging him to retaliate. Jin snatched it up vivaciously and almost stood from his seat to object Gill's judgment.

"But Angela—"

"Would you agree with my judgment, Father?" Gill's harsh tone suddenly lessened as he directed the attention back to the mayor. Mayor Hamilton smiled softly at his son.

"I'm trusting you'll make the right decision, m'boy," he encouraged. One out of two wasn't that bad. Plus, there was always next season, the mayor reasoned.

"Elli, please send out letters to Toucan Island notifying of their acceptance." Everyone began gathering their pens and notes as the meeting drew to a close. Jin's noble attempt died with the excitement of lunch on the horizon and no one else seemed willing to revive Angela's defense. He glowered at Gill as he shoved his messily written notes into his white doctor's coat.

"Thank for your time; I adjourn this meeting," Gill concluded. The previously meditative room was suddenly filled with the different noises of chairs scraping the floor, plans for lunch being made, and feet hastily rushing for freedom. Gill remained seated, however, as the townspeople left. There was still other business to attend to.

"Mr. Dale." Dale, who was already passing through the doorway, paused in distraught before turning to the speaker,

"A word, please."

* * *

**Quite a long chapter today, eh? This was originally supposed to be two separate chapters, but I decided to put the two bits together after realizing the first part to be a bit scant on its own. Both halves take place on the same day, so why not put them together, right? The second part had been sitting in my computer for quite a while as a half-baked draft before I finished it off this week. The draft had been written when I was inebriated with caffeine, so it taught me that you shouldn't write fanfic at 2 am. Revising it took longer than I expected, man. And that was (not entirely) fun! :D**

**I'm not sure if I'll post next week due to the fact I've recently had a great surge of inspiration, causing me to work bit by bit on several chapters at one time. We'll see how it works out. -_-**

**Anyhoo, I hoped you guys liked this chapter! I enjoyed reading your reviews for Ch. 12 and would for love for us to continue this happy cycle of read and review we have here. :3c And, hey, even if you didn't particularly enjoy this one, you should still leave a review, disgruntled reader, so I might better your reading experience and my own writing skills! Until next time! n_n**

**Update: Fixed multiple grammar and spelling errors. Also changed ch. title. Nothing huge or notable.**


	14. I'm Fine, Even Now

Gill pinched the hard pencil between his fingers strongly, as if to squeeze his thoughts into lead droplets on paper. He put it down and rubbed his temples vigorously for a moment before picking it up again. Tangled words began to take varied shape on the half-filled sheet. The lead point dragged its way across the paper; the production of scribbled hieroglyphs continued its flow invariably, only to be abruptly killed with a sudden snap.

The pencil had broken. Gill sighed. It would be the fourth time to sharpen it today.

"Are you okay, Gill?" Elli looked at her coworker in worry.

Gill rubbed his temples again. "I'm...fine," A lie. "There's a lot of things going on this season and I feel like I'm being constricted right now," Gill said and plopped the broken pencil into a nearby waste basket. It was much too short to redeem.

"Go. Take a break," she implored him gently.

"I appreciate the advice, but there's work that needs to be done," Gill said and picked up another pencil. She bent over the gap between their desks and plucked it out of his hand. He sighed and pinched the space between his eyes, exasperated.

"Your mountain of work will still be here after your break," she reassured him. Elli considered her next action carefully. "I've noticed the way you just zone out in the middle of writing, how you've been muttering under your breath more, and the little doodles of an angry elf-munchkin-thing on your paperwork," she added. It was supposed to be an angry woman, but the comparison was close enough, Gill mused wryly.

"Is something bothering you, Gill? Whatever the problem, I got your back…" she paused for several moments, thinking of what else to say.

"…bro-migo," Elli jokingly added, trying to lighten the atmosphere. It backfired on her, as it only reminded Gill of Luke's constant use of the word. Gill quickly stood from his desk and approached the door.

"I'll be back in a bit," he said and left Elli wondering what she had done wrong.

* * *

The church, always peaceful and calm, was a true solace from the unpleasant cesspool of disagreeable people and everyday stress. Unexpectedly, winter had decided to announce its early coming violently with a blizzard. It raged on furiously outside, yet the inner sanctum of the church was ever still and quiet. It was serene in the midst of a storm – a perfect description for both the inanimate building and his likewise inanimate matriarch.

This quiet sanctuary held many memories for Gill, most of them pleasant and most of which involving his mother. He had often visited this place during those days with his mother. It was the place they would come to pray to the Harvest Goddess, well, where _she_ would pray and young Gill would sinfully peek his eyes open on high alert for some form of distraction. It was where his mother would speak fondly of the Goddess' legends and blessings with Gill tucked into her warm arms, wide-eyed with childish marvel. It was where her thin body had last lain on display before being tucked away into the cold, lonely earth. It was where teenage Gill had wept and denounced that the same Harvest Goddess of endearing legends and generous blessings had not saved his mother. Years had passed since those forlorn days and Gill had only revived the old habit of visiting the church for business. These days, it had become the place where Gill came to meditate over important decisions; decisions both of the business and personal type.

Gill stared at the frosted, colorful windows moodily. With a sudden torrential snowstorm outside, Gill had unwittingly become its captive. Usually, he was on top of such important weather changes, as much as the town's weather girl was. Due to recent turn of events, however, He had failed to check up on the matter. His short trip to Toucan Island and subsequent day-off had created self-inflicted pain in the form of piles of daunting paperwork. And then there was the seasonal business meeting, and then the initial start on Mt. Paperwork, and then more work, work, work…

So, there sat Gill, alone in a pew, thinking mostly of work on his forced break. Alone, at least, until a door of the church creaked open. Surprised with the sudden arrival of company, Gill turned to see who would be joining him.

It was Angela.

_She_ had come to _him_ this time and the thought permeated Gill's mind. It was even more of a surprise considering the day's weather. Neither spoke, only exchanging their unpleasantries with looks.

Angela plopped onto the same pew as him, a mindful distance between them. White speckles clung to her and her cheeks were rosy. She quietly shivered and attempted to warm herself by rubbing her cold hands on her colder arms. Gill rolled his eyes at her pointless actions. Suddenly, Angela felt something warm and soft thrown at her. She blinked at the object. A white blazer laid on her lap. She glanced at its owner with suspicion, but before any ruthless insults and empty questions were thrown in response, Gill flatly stated, "If you're cold, use it. I'm not in the mood for banter today."

Angela watched him cautiously, half-expecting a sarcastic remark, and slipped on the jacket. The white blazer enveloped her warmly, like the comforting arms of a lover. A pleasing scent was evident and she took in a deep breath of it. The lingering scent of cologne was pleasant, but not too overbearing, probably expensive, and was well suited for a man of Gill's social stature. She would never admit it to anyone, but it was enjoyably cozy.

Her body had little time to linger on the strange comfort of the jacket as her mind outsourced anxious energy throughout it. Her knees bobbed up and down in a steady rhythm and Angela tapped her fingers together anxiously.

"You seem quite energized today, Ms. Angela," Gill commented monotonously.

"Do I? Must be the weather…" Another pause.

"Just in case you were wondering, Elli told me where you were," Angela filled in. A smirk found its way to Gill's lips.

"And here I thought you were beginning to grow attached to me in a very stalker-like manner," he coyly mused. The wry grin disappeared shortly thereafter.

"You need something from me, don't you?" Gill sighed. "Otherwise, why else would you bother trudging through the snow to find me?"

"I… It's nothing big really, it's just…" Angela picked at a loose thread, not sure how to go about the subject. "It's about the Harvest Goddess." Gill shut his eyes, feeling an inkling of resentment. He should have gone with the banter.

"Ever since, I've arrived on the island, I've been having…dreams, dreams about a fairy lady, so I told your dad about it."

"There are better ways to handle such things than consulting my father, Ms. Angela. Admitting yourself to an asylum would be a wise suggestion." The comment was ignored and the lady continued.

"I asked your dad about them and he told me all about the legend of the Harvest Goddess and the Mother Tree." Angela noticed a slight twitch from Gill at the tree's mention and waited for him to say something. Gill only rubbed the smooth end of his chin in abysmal thought.

"He told me the Tree's death is why things on the island are so messed up – why there's barely any wind most days, why the soil sucks, why it's always raining…"

"Funny. Elli called the rain a 'special gift' from the Goddess," Gill interrupted, another smirk edging his thin lips. "Continue?"

"Then he showed me a quilt. One half of a quilt, I should say," Angela fixated on him with a knowing look. Gill looked at her with a bland expression.

"Your point being…?"

"Your dad speculated that the Harvest Sprites hid the other half, but when he mentioned you, obviously…" Angela's accusatory tone pointed to Gill.

"Obviously, what?" Gill said with a degree of spite at the subtle accusation.

"I assume you know where it _actually_ is," Angela concluded. Gill let out a troubled sigh, the kind one gives when there seems no better solution to a problem.

"The Harvest Sprites…haven't heard about them for a while…" he frowned deeply as he spoke.

"I used to see them, when I was a kid and still had faith in _her_." His eyes pierced at the window's image of the Goddess as he spoke. "They had warned me about the Mother Tree's coming death, but I was too little to make a difference in the end. After it died, so did…"Gill stopped himself from unnecessarily betraying his inner torment, "…my ability to see them…" he carefully concealed. He bent down and supported his bowing head with his hands – a picture of true distraught.

"I could've saved the Mother Tree. I could've made a difference…but I was too young and powerless…" he quietly mourned. The tone of amusement or pride common in his conversations with her was noticeably lacking in his honest admission. This Gill - who did not tease her, who lent her his jacket for comfort, who let a glimpse of his inner pain leak through - was somehow unsettling and unnerved Angela for causing his appearance.

A feeling of pity and empathy for Gill flashed through Angela, but she tried to withhold herself. The bottom of her lip found its way between her teeth and she gnawed it gently. Should she really comfort this man? This man who kept her teetering on the Cliffs of Insanity? Hesitantly, she extended her hand towards his bent figure. It shivered as it made its way towards him, perhaps from the church's chilly air or maybe from its owner's unsteady movements. Her fingers were millimeters away from resting on Gill's back when he sighed once more and Angela withdrew her reach bashfully. Angela held her cold fingers on her burning cheeks, rebuking herself for attempting to do something so ridiculous. Gill let his left hand relax on his leg and leaned on the other. He watched Angela rub her brazen cheeks vigorously with the edges of his jacket sleeves joining in. There was no way Gill was going to have that jacket dry-cleaned again. A pity, he thought, since it was one of his favorites.

"So, uh, why did the tree even die?" she asked, keeping her rapidly blinking eyes away from his. Gill swept his hair as he thought of the appropriate response, his eyebrows drawn together.

"I…suspect it was just old age, but most of the town elders think it's because people grew colder and disrespected it," Gill repeated the speculations he had heard as a child. He squinted his eyes in further thought. "Now that I think of it, those pointy-eared bastards never even told me the reason it was dying…,"Gill muttered crossly. Angela tapped her chin; she was also deep in thought recalling the faded images on her half of the quilt. She continued with her questions.

"Soooo," Angela drawled out, "…how exactly do these 'Harvest Sprites' look like?"

"I just told you, they're little pointy-eared bastards with pointy hats. I've tried looking for them, but they've either died off or just really sneaky hiders…" Regular Gill was beginning to resurface, of which Angela was increasingly grateful for.

"And the quilt? Where's the quilt?"

"…I can't tell you that."

"I need it, Gill," Angela said and mustered the most pitiful face she could. Gill remained unaffected.

"This quilt has been passed down my family for generations, holds significant personal and cultural importance, and you're expecting me to simply hand it over like I would a dish rag?" A pause.

"Yes?" Gill snorted a chuckle, enjoying the conversation.

"Wouldn't it be fairer if we exchanged something? We both have mutual interests don't we?" Angela considered the comparison thoughtfully. She was intent on reviving Waffle Island's life; Gill seemed bent on ruling the island one day. Nope, no _obvious _similarities there.

"…Er, do we?" she looked at him questioningly.

"We both want to see this island revived, correct? I want to do it economically, while you're set on pursuing elves and rainbows."

"…What do you want in exchange for the quilt?"

"Before that, I believe you still owe me a debt, Ms. Angela," Gill said with jolly eyes and a mocking grin.

"Fine. I pay your stupid debt and you give me the quilt. Deal?"

"If by 'give', you mean 'lend' you the quilt, then fine," Gill quickly caught and closed the potential loophole. "Should we scrawl our names in blood together or perhaps seal it with a kiss instead?" Angela gawked at him. He smiled cheekily at her as if he had said nothing wrong.

"Names in blood, then?"

"You're…" she gestured indescriptly with her hands," …impossible," and began to remove the borrowed jacket.

Gill resumed his earlier position with his body forward and his head leaning pensively on one hand. "You getting home unscathed in this weather is what's impossible, Ms. Angela," he said and caused her to stop in her tracks to the door.

"You'll get sick, and then how will you get your quilt, or, more importantly, pay off your debt?" he sneered widely, notating his callous concern. Angela moaned at his sarcasm and responded with the like.

"Gee, Gill, your compassion is almost _too_ constricting." Gill could practically hear her eyes rolling as she spoke.

"If you want more information about the tree, go bother Dale," he instructed Angela. Gill had enough to deal with and could do without someone bringing up unsavory memories. Dale would work well with the distraction.

"And make sure you get some rest, Ms. Angela…" Gill quietly added. The hidden sincerity in his tone caught Angela off guard and she looked back at his slumped figure. What was with him today? Angela brushed off the odd feeling within her and made an effort to sound sulky.

"With your infernal debt hanging on my shoulders, that'll be pretty hard to do," she grumbled softly before disappearing into the whirlwind of white flakes outside. The door allowed a brisk wind into the church before it groaned to a shut. Gill felt himself shiver and reached for the coat Angela had borrowed. He halted briefly before slipping it on. Gill took a quick whiff of the new scent lingering on his jacket. He frowned at the unexpected outcome.

Lavender.

It would seem he was going to have to wash the jacket in the end.

* * *

The short period of time he had spent in the church had allowed the island to change its environment entirely. Waffle Island suddenly found itself enwrapped within a pure white blanket of snow. Unfortunately, its roads and paths had gotten wrapped up with it and no other souls had emerged from their homes to begin clearing out the stuff. Gill cringed at the unpleasant task of returning to work.

Crunch…

Crunch…

Crunch… a sneeze and a whispered curse.

Crunch…

Crunch…

Crunch…

Eventually, Gill muddled his way into Waffle Town with the edges of his pants moist and his shoes quite damp. He glanced at the bright windows of the Sundae Inn as he passed. A familiar figure caught his eye and Gill stopped his trek to the town hall. Angela was in there…

…As was Luke, who stood tall by her side. Luke whispered something to her and they both broke out in mute laughter. Scowling at the happy scene, he resumed his uncomfortable walk and kept his eyes cast downwards on the invisible path. The sound of someone approaching brought them back up.

"Gill?" Elli appeared, holding her long skirt up from the deep snow.

"Ms. Elli, how fortunate. You wouldn't happen to have a snowplow on you, would you, _bro-migo_?" Elli grinned at the odd quip. Gill's return of humor seemed to be a good sign of some sort of recovery.

"I already locked up for the day. You never came back, so I figured, what with the weather and your mood, we should wrap things up early."

"Your foresight astounds me," he said with half-earnesty. Gill observed the carefully wrapped present in her hands and took into account the noise protruding from the nearby building.

"Something going on today?" he offhandedly asked.

"Today's Angela's birthday," she said excitedly, beaming with a mix of pride and joy. He turned to stare at the window. Angela had already moved away from her former spot, but Luke remained. Gill swiftly averted his gaze from the displeasing person.

"How old?" he innocently questioned.

"Twenty-one," she replied. Elli noticed the way he kept glancing at the window expectantly.

"You…wouldn't want to pop in for some cake and greet her, would you?" Elli offered. The offer, really, was not hers to give, but it was the polite thing to do.

"I can't," he quickly replied. "I…shouldn't. I wouldn't want to intrude such a joyous affair…" he gazed at the door wistfully. Elli breezed past him for the inn's doors.

"Your loss, then," she smiled at his deepening frown. "I'll save you a piece of cake, all right?"

"I hate sweets, Elli," he reminded her flatly.

Elli snickered at the childish tone of the comment, replied with a "good night to you, too, Gill,", and disappeared into the warm light of the inn. Gill stood rooted in front of the inn's doors, listening to the din of mirthful chatter and spontaneous bursts of laughter. Soon, Gill forced his snow-dampened feet to trudge homewards. The sounds of celebration grew fainter as he walked away, but not faint enough for him to forget the joyful event where he knew he was not welcomed.

The same day one was celebrating life another was mourning death. A bitter twist of irony, thought Gill, as his shadow darkened his door.

* * *

**Ah, this chapter was longer than the last. u-u I'm trying out new writing style-things, btw, so please pardon my awkward progress. :3c Unfortunately, there shall be no new chapter next week as I have a book report and finals upcoming. :T BUT, after this I shall be free as the wind in your hair (notwithstanding work)! :D So I hope you and I both can hold fast through these darkening days before us... =-=**

**On a random note, "bro-migo" is just one word amongst an expansive list. I have quite a few bro-related monikers recorded and ready for use. =w= "Bo-tato", from the last chapter, is another example, ixnay the "Bo" with "bro". There's also ****_bro_****ham, maca-****_bro_****-ni and cheese, ****_bro_****-bi wan kenobi, and the list goes ever on and on~**

**Doth this chapter make thy shoulders bounce in glee? Or doth it sour the tongue with words of respite? This author doth beseech thee, let known thine mirth or thine apathy! Thine joy or thine rage! Thou holdest these portals to my soul open to the scripts of thy thought! Make haste, o reader! Make haste!**

**S/N: The Grapes of Wrath is a terribly upsetting story. D:**


	15. Morning

A pair of heavy boots crunched along the thick layer of snow blanketing the ground. The cold air brushed against her brazen cheeks and swept her unkempt hair wildly about. Gingerly, Angela punched each step deep into the snow, relishing the cold enveloping her feet. Feeling the chill of early winter made her grateful to be alive and her laborious trudging through the snowfall only improved the lovely mood she had. As she walked, Angela looked back to her farm at the rows of buckwheat and potato sprouts swaying in the winter wind. The pride she held for those healthy crops was akin to a mother's pride for her children. She smiled widely to herself. Another day's work finished early. Not that she had any complaints, but the change in season had considerably lessened the amount of crops Angela could harvest, giving her more free time.

Staying in to nice cup of hot cocoa and watching cheesy romance dramas all day seemed a titillating idea, but Angela lacked several key components of that plan. A television, for one. Hot cocoa mix. Heck, Angela didn't even own a pot to make a warm anything! Neither was she one to be satisfied sitting around the house idly all day. Sure, it was relaxing, but after a while, an itch for activity would manifest itself.

So why stay indoors, then, especially if your nearest and dearest friend was just a short walk away? Dale and his apprentices could probably use the help, too. A constant and random tirade of blizzards had delayed their five-day project into a two-week project and counting. The only evidence of a future house was its scant framework and that was just barely standing. They really could use some extra help.

Angela squinted towards their work site as she approached it. From what she could tell, Luke was haphazardly pounding nails. His younger fellow apprentice, Bo, was also tending to the wood, albeit with much less tenacity. Dale stood opposite from the crest of the small hill where the house was being built. His focus was intently on the blueprint in his hands, not on the approaching farmer or his son who had dropped his tools and rushed to meet Angela halfway to their work site.

Luke scrambled across the bridge and settled at her side eagerly. "Good morning, Angie! Finished early again?"

"Yup! How's the house come along, guys?"

"Better than yesterday. It's definitely easier to build a house when you can actually feel your fingers," Luke vigorously rubbed his covered hands at the thought.

"First, unexpected rain storms, now unexpected snow storms," Bo grumbled quietly as he measured a plank to be cut. "If only the clouds could _unexpectedly _clear out, then we could finish this thing quickly." Even meek Bo had become clearly frustrated by the fickle weather. The freezing wind currently piercing through the valley didn't seem to improve Bo's doldrums either, Angela noted, as he pulled his heavy jacket closer around him with a pout.

Dale slowly trudged up the hill, stroking his goatee in thought before sharing his own thoughts. "Maybe it's a warning from the Harvest Goddess…" the aged carpenter assumed. Angela could've sworn Luke had scoffed and rolled his eyes at his dad's theory. To her, though, it didn't seem too ridiculous to be true, especially after all the things she had recently learned from the Hamiltons. She still wanted to find out more than they had revealed to her and the opportunity could not have presented itself more graciously than now.

"Say, Dale?" He grunted out an acknowledgement to his name.

"Ah…the Harvest Goddess…did she really die with the Mother Tree?" Angela put out her query. Dale supplied his answer without a momen't thought or hesitation.

"I'd like to think not. I believe her spirit is still present on the island. Maybe not in the Mother Tree anymore, but …somewhere…" Dale looked off to the distance, his soliloquy was cut short by a snowball exploding on the back of his head. Dale whipped around, one name burning on the tip of his tongue.

"Luke!" His son quickly shoved his frosted gloves behind his back. Angela, who had been looking forward to Dale's input, frowned at the guilty party. He didn't seem the least bit apologetic for disrupting their conversation. In fact, Luke looked ready to erupt into a great fit of laughter.

"It wasn't me! It was Bo!" Luke pointed at his friend, revealing snowy-white powder clinging to his gloves. The accused only sighed at his would-be teacher's childish behavior and went on with his work, not willing to jump into the grave Luke had dug for himself. Dale sighed deeply, his fit of temper cooling off as shortly as it had risen.

"Urgh… never mind," said Dale resignedly and let the case drop. He brushed off the splotches of snow from his shoulder and reached for the papers he had dropped in his surprise. The dull popping and cracking from his back suddenly made Dale feel tired and very old. He turned to his much younger and livelier son. Angela was ribbing Luke for his actions to which the guilty party could only giggle and complain she was tickling him. "If you're not too busy goofing off, go pick up some hot drinks for us," Dale interrupted their merriment.

"Sure thing, Pop!"

"I'll have hot chocolate, please," Bo piped in his request, nearly bludgeoning his finger with the hammer in his moment of distraction. Dale mumbled about extra strong coffee as his order. Luke turned to Angela and waited to add her request.

"Um, er, hot cocoa?" She shrugged unsurely. He reached out to her, and to Angela's surprise, ruffled her hair with a small laugh. Damn it, if Luke wasn't so nice, she would've definitely punched him for messing up her already unruly hair.

"Wanna come with me? I could use the extra set of hands," Luke set his fists at his sides, waiting for her answer. Angela smoothed out her forgone locks back into place as she spoke. Sure! I'll treat you guys."

Luke frowned at her simple declaration. "_I'll _pay," he insisted as his arms crossed themselves in firm resolve. Angela mentally giggled at his determination and stored the image of him pouting defiantly like a five-year-old deep into her memory banks. He looked particularly adorable this way. "I can take care of it, Luke," she tried to reassure him.

Luke pondered over their debate and after a few moments of silence, stooped down and began packing a snowball."…How 'bout this? If I can nab you with a snowball, I'll pay. If you can dodge all of my hits, I'll let you pay," he glanced up at Angela with a mischievous grin.

"Sounds fair to me, but I should warn you. I'm a pretty fast runner," she returned his grin with a fiery smile. Angela could already feel her legs tensing at the upcoming thrill of the challenge.

His father shook his head at the childish bet. "Luke—"

"READYSETGO!" Angela shrieked and turned tail as a sphere of white whizzed a little too close to her ear. She curved and serpentined her way over the open area of Caramel Valley District and tried not to focus too much on the flying streaks of white narrowly hitting her as she ran. Her attacker was anything but distracted with his eyes sharply focused on his target and his arms a blur as they packed, aimed, and launched snowballs in one swift motion.

A melodious chorus of laughter rippled through the wide, snowy valley, filling it with warmth lacking in its cold, natural surroundings. Angela leapt gracefully as a gazelle over the fence separating the main path from the wild grass. When Luke tried to repeat Angela's smooth jump, it halted his fluid attacks and nearly ripped his pants in some very embarrassing places.

Angela, who was nearly well into Waffle town, heard his stumbling and turned to flash her pink tongue tauntingly at him. She rounded the corner out of his range just as Luke finally conquered the strangling fence. He breathlessly scooped up a handful of snow and upon turning the corner, blindly lobbed his ammo…

…which lovingly splattered all over Gill's face and arm as he emerged from the inn. Well, at least Luke had managed quite some distance.

"Oh…" Angela halted to a dead stop as she covered her mouth in shock. Luke swore under his panting and scrambled down to his unintended victim. "Uh, hey, Gill… let me…uh," he stuttered and began vigorously dusting Gill's shoulder. Unfortunately, Luke was anything but gentle, and his assistance seemed to be paining Gill rather than helping, or at least, that was what Angela could tell from the wide-eyed aghast from the future mayor's face.

"I'd rather you keep your sticky paws off me, Luke," Gill seethed, making no effort to mask the irritation in his voice. Luke chuckled sheepishly and backpedaled from the offended young man.

"Just…trying to help a bro out," Luke held up his hands with an innocent grin. Gill huffed at the retreating offender and briskly brushed off the powdery flakes from his clothes. He glanced up at the troublesome duo, which stood with pious looks painted expertly on their faces.

"Shouldn't you be working on the house, Luke? With the work extending past the projected completion date, I hardly think you'd find the time to slack off," he turned to Luke's partner in crime, "with Ms. Angela no less."

Luke rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the chill of winter (or maybe Gill's pointed glare.) "It's kind of hard to build stuff in a blizzard, Gill," Luke simpered innocently. Gill mediated over Luke's excuse before responding.

"…true, I suppose. And Ms. Angela," she mentally moaned at the turn of attention, "Shouldn't you be—"

"Nope! Actually, thanks for reminding me…" She fished out a crumpled envelope from her pocket and waved it in front of the baffled blonde. Gill snatched it from her and opened it to find, to his chagrin, a thick row of bills. Stunned, he fingered through it tentatively.

"What's this?" Ah, the things Angela would do if she could document the hilarious look of desperate confusion on Gill's face right now… The cruel fate, on the other hand, left her with a gigantic opportunity for some abject rib prodding.

"Are you blind? Did your parents not provide you with an education? Ah, really…" Angela drawled with the same haughty tone Gill often used. Gill scoffed at the odd twist of irony being brandished in his face. Angela was picking up on his humor; he couldn't deny the feeling of pride welling up in him again.

Luke, who had only ever seen two expressions from him (anger and disgust), snickered at this new facet of Gill on display. Gill turned sharply at the perpetrator.

"Hilarious." Gill harrumphed before dropping his one-sided glare with Luke. Gill thumbed through the bills a second time to ensure the debt was repaid, fully and truly. "What did you do to extort this much money so quickly? Blackmail? Robbery?"

"Through friendship, actually," Angela inserted, "Word travels fast around this island, apparently, so everyone –"

"We all chipped in for Angela's birthday gift! You should've seen her face when she opened the envelope," Luke dropped in his own input into the conversation. Gill glowered at the unwelcome participant.

"And now that my debt's paid off, I believe you have your end of our deal to hold up," Angela smiled at Gill with expectancy scribbled all over her face. Gill calmly tucked the rumpled envelope into his waistcoat.

"You're referring to the quilt, right?" he coolly verified. Angela bobbed her head eagerly in agreement. Gill let out a spiteful scoff at her exuberance.

"Sorry to dampen your spirits, but I'm afraid I can't give it to you, Ms. Angela. It was never with me in the first place." Angela felt her heart plummet straight into her stomach.

"What? B-but you said –"

"I never said I actually _had _it," said Gill in a bored tone as he brushed locks falling over his eyes back into their place. _Ooh!_ Angela was so ready to rip his stupid bangs straight off his face for twisting their deal and making her run around like this.

"You—" Gill flipped up a hand at the speaker to quell the potential swear-storm forming.

"Ask my father about the clock tower in the Town Square. The rest you'll have to figure out yourself," Gill coolly dismissed her and turned away from the pair to return to work. Angela inched a bit after him, raring to beat him into cooperation. It was the split-second memory of Luke being with her that reined back her blind fury.

"Hey! I'm not done talking to you!" she furiously beckoned Gill back.

"I am," Gill replied, his tone colder than the wintry weather.

"D-don't walk away from a conversation like that!" she yelled out at him, her voice shaky with disparity. Gill turned to spare her a smirk, his eyes mischievous and glittering with amusement, and disappeared out of their sight. Oh goddess, he was rubbing off on her. Angela shuddered at the thought. She could literally feel her skin creep at the thought of them becoming close.

"You all right, Angela?" Luke asked as he tapped Angela's shoulder. "I kind of just smushed a snowball all over your back and you didn't even squeak about it." Oh. That would explain the shiver that just ran through her.

"You want me to lob him with my Snowball Tornado?" Luke held up a large snowball eagerly; he was raring to unleash a frozen flurry at Angela's request. She smiled weakly and shook her head.

"…He's not worth the effort," Angela sighed out. Luke sighed with her, seeming to be disappointed at the loss of such a tantalizing target. He smashed the snowball like a grape between his gloved hands and dusted the remains off him; Angela watched as the flakes fluttered back to their family covering the ground.

"So, I guess I lost our bet, huh?" Angela shuffled her feet a little deeper into the snowy dirt. Luke ruffled her hair again, this time as consolation rather than amusement. She swatted his hands off her head with an uneven smile edging her fake scowl.

"I was gonna pay for the drinks either way, so I don't think it would've mattered if ya won, per se," Luke confessed his devious plot with a lopsided grin. She nudged him and let her birth smile break through again.

"What a gentleman," Angela laughed at his coy admission. "I'm paying next time, though, got it?" Luke puckered his face in deliberate thought instead of quickly agreeing to her offer.

"Funny. I thought the guy usually pays for the date," he innocently wondered aloud. Angela felt a warm blush slowly creeping into her cheeks. A date? With Luke? She sneaked a discreet glance at his face. Although he wasn't looking at her anymore, she could easily see the rosy stains on his cheeks. She mentally slapped herself. It was probably just this cold weather affecting his face. Yup. The weather. She nudged him, trying to maintain their earlier playfulness.

"Th-this is the modern times, you dork. Gender equality and all that…" she pretended to tuck a stray look back into place as she spoke. Luke pondered silently.

"I wouldn't be too upset if the girl courted me instead of, y'know, the other way around…"his voice dwindled until the last part was just barely audible. The two stood there together for awhile, the comfortable silence they often shared before, somehow becoming a little more awkward this time. It wasn't until fresh snow began to drift lazily around them that either made a move.

"We should go in now," Luke beckoned towards the inn with a nod of his head. Angela spared a look at his face. The rosiness was still there, but its origins would be impossible to discover right now. At least he was smiling again instead of sulking in deep thought.

Angela returned the smile, and with a nod of agreement, followed the blushing carpenter into the warmth of Sundae Inn.

* * *

**Hello all! I, striderider, have returned! -u- I hope you all enjoyed the chapter; I figured we could use some AngelaxLuke page-time around here. Hopefully, you'll agree with me, eh? :3c**

**A new college term has begun for me, meaning a new set of classes, a new schedule, etc.. Looking at it now, I don't think it will affect S&C uploads that much, but we'll just have to wait and see, no?**

**I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this chapter! If you did, leave a review! Your words of encouragement send my hear a'pumpin' wild, gurl. UoU If you didn't enjoy this chapter and actually hold only the uttermost contempt for it, I still think it'd be very interesting to hear back from you! So whether your comments are kind, crushing, or constructive, drop a line! I eagerly wait for your response. :D**


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